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Floyd River at Sheldon

Highest listed crest 19.96 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft33 crests since 1953

The Floyd River at Sheldon crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 33 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1953 to 2025. The highest, 19.96 ft on June 7, 1953, was major flooding, 7.96 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Floyd River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
19.96 ft
June 7, 1953
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 18.0 ft
Crests at major
1
93rd of 203 gauges in Iowa
Most recent flood crest
June 22, 2024
17.62 ft, moderate flooding
Location
O'Brien County
Iowa
Identifiers
NWS SHLI4
No USGS station

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Floyd River at Sheldon
Action stage10.011Mar 11, 1997The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.07Mar 14, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.03Jun 22, 2024Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage18.01Jun 7, 1953Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

33 crests from 1953 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Floyd River at Sheldon, 1953 to 2025 05101520ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 18.0 ft Jun 7, 1953: 19.96 ft, major floodingMar 28, 1962: 13.00 ft, minor floodingJun 5, 1980: 10.20 ft, action stageMar 2, 1982: 10.80 ft, action stageApr 13, 1983: 10.70 ft, action stageJun 20, 1983: 12.20 ft, minor floodingJun 30, 1983: 10.60 ft, action stageFeb 16, 1984: 10.50 ft, action stageMar 25, 1984: 10.60 ft, action stageJun 12, 1984: 12.50 ft, minor floodingJun 22, 1984: 10.90 ft, action stageApr 23, 1985: 10.65 ft, action stageMar 18, 1986: 11.15 ft, action stageMar 23, 1987: 9.37 ft, below flood stageFeb 29, 1988: 9.69 ft, below flood stageMay 24, 1989: 7.31 ft, below flood stageJun 17, 1990: 8.86 ft, below flood stageMay 22, 1991: 4.64 ft, below flood stageOct 9, 1992: 8.32 ft, below flood stageMar 27, 1993: 11.72 ft, action stageJun 23, 1994: 12.25 ft, minor floodingSep 30, 1996: 6.25 ft, below flood stageMar 11, 1997: 11.80 ft, action stageApr 12, 2001: 9.80 ft, below flood stageMar 12, 2007: 12.50 ft, minor floodingJul 22, 2010: 14.10 ft, moderate floodingJun 18, 2014: 12.65 ft, minor floodingJun 21, 2018: 15.50 ft, moderate floodingMar 14, 2019: 13.70 ft, minor floodingMay 26, 2020: 7.79 ft, below flood stageSep 28, 2023: 7.81 ft, below flood stageJun 22, 2024: 17.62 ft, moderate floodingJul 30, 2025: 8.53 ft, below flood stage Highest, 19.96 ft, Jun 7, 1953 1960197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Floyd River at Sheldon 1950s: 1 1960s: 1 1970s: 0 1980s: 2 1990s: 1 2000s: 1 2010s: 4 4 2020s: 1 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Floyd River at Sheldon
1Jun 7, 195319.96+7.96Major—
2Jun 22, 202417.62+5.62Moderate—
3Jun 21, 201815.50+3.50Moderate—
4Jul 22, 201014.10+2.10Moderate—
5Mar 14, 201913.70+1.70Minor—
6Mar 28, 196213.00+1.00Minor—
7Jun 18, 201412.65+0.65Minor—
8Jun 12, 198412.50+0.50Minor—
9Mar 12, 200712.50+0.50Minor—
10Jun 23, 199412.25+0.25Minor—
11Jun 20, 198312.20+0.20Minor—
12Mar 11, 199711.80−0.20Action—
13Mar 27, 199311.72−0.28Action—
14Mar 18, 198611.15−0.85Action—
15Jun 22, 198410.90−1.10Action—
16Mar 2, 198210.80−1.20Action—
17Apr 13, 198310.70−1.30Action—
18Apr 23, 198510.65−1.35Action—
19Jun 30, 198310.60−1.40Action—
20Mar 25, 198410.60−1.40Action—
21Feb 16, 198410.50−1.50Action—
22Jun 5, 198010.20−1.80Action—
23Apr 12, 20019.80−2.20Below flood stage—
24Feb 29, 19889.69−2.31Below flood stage—
25Mar 23, 19879.37−2.63Below flood stage—
26Jun 17, 19908.86−3.14Below flood stage—
27Jul 30, 20258.53−3.47Below flood stage—
28Oct 9, 19928.32−3.68Below flood stage—
29Sep 28, 20237.81−4.19Below flood stage—
30May 26, 20207.79−4.21Below flood stage—
31May 24, 19897.31−4.69Below flood stage—
32Sep 30, 19966.25−5.75Below flood stage—
33May 22, 19914.64−7.36Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Floyd River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Floyd River that crested above flood stage within a week.

June 7, 1953: 19.96 ft here, major flooding

  • Le MarsIA · Jun 8, 1953 · 26.40 ft · Major
  • MerrillIA · Jun 8, 1953 · 18.00 ft · Major

June 22, 2024: 17.62 ft here, moderate flooding

  • Le MarsIA · Jun 23, 2024 · 27.97 ft · Major · its highest
  • AltonIA · Jun 22, 2024 · 26.81 ft · Major · its highest
  • MerrillIA · Jun 23, 2024 · 20.19 ft · Major · its highest
  • StrubleIA · Jun 22, 2024 · 18.47 ft · Major · its highest
  • JamesIA · Jun 23, 2024 · 32.39 ft · Moderate · its highest

June 21, 2018: 15.50 ft here, moderate flooding

  • AltonIA · Jun 21, 2018 · 20.50 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Floyd River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the Floyd River
AltonIA12.026.81 ft, Jun 22, 20241
JamesIA26.032.39 ft, Jun 23, 20240
Le MarsIA20.027.97 ft, Jun 23, 20243
MerrillIA12.020.19 ft, Jun 23, 202413
Sheldon this gaugeIA12.019.96 ft, Jun 7, 19531
StrubleIA14.018.47 ft, Jun 22, 20241

Other gauges in O'Brien County

Flood gauges in O'Brien County
Sanborn87.090.56 ft, Jun 22, 20240
Sutherland1,236.01,244.95 ft, Jun 22, 20242

O'Brien County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Iowa

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge SHLI4, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.