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Fourmile Creek at Des Moines Easton Blvd

Highest listed crest 17.51 ftFlood stage 12.5 ft57 crests since 1972

The Fourmile Creek at Des Moines Easton Blvd crested at major flood stage 3 times among the 57 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1972 to 2026. The highest, 17.51 ft on July 1, 2018, was major flooding, 5.01 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Fourmile Creek crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
17.51 ft
July 1, 2018; 12,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.5 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
3
58th of 203 gauges in Iowa
Most recent flood crest
July 3, 2026
16.87 ft, major flooding
Location
Polk County
Near Pleasant Hill (2.3 mi), Altoona (4.2 mi), Des Moines (4.4 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Fourmile Creek at Des Moines Easton Blvd
Action stage9.025Jul 20, 2025The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.59May 24, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.010Jul 28, 2008Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.03Jul 3, 2026Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

57 crests from 1972 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Fourmile Creek at Des Moines Easton Blvd, 1972 to 2026 05101520ft Flood stage 12.5 ftMajor 16.0 ft Jun 20, 1972: 9.54 ft, action stage; 1,440 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1973: 12.71 ft, minor flooding; 2,600 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 1974: 14.84 ft, moderate flooding; 5,340 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1975: 10.95 ft, action stage; 1,820 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1976: 14.20 ft, moderate flooding; 4,440 cubic feet per secondAug 28, 1977: 14.64 ft, moderate flooding; 5,380 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1978: 11.43 ft, action stage; 1,900 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1979: 10.00 ft, action stage; 1,470 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1981: 9.68 ft, action stage; 1,260 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 1982: 14.46 ft, moderate flooding; 4,800 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1983: 13.92 ft, minor flooding; 4,080 cubic feet per secondJul 15, 1984: 13.62 ft, minor flooding; 3,720 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1985: 9.10 ft, action stage; 1,160 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1986: 13.55 ft, minor flooding; 3,420 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 1987: 12.13 ft, action stage; 2,490 cubic feet per secondNov 28, 1987: 5.58 ft, below flood stage; 250 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 1988: 5.83 ft, below flood stageMay 24, 1989: 7.80 ft, below flood stage; 731 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1990: 14.18 ft, moderate flooding; 4,410 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1991: 10.30 ft, action stage; 1,520 cubic feet per secondJul 25, 1992: 9.90 ft, action stage; 1,350 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1993: 14.02 ft, moderate flooding; 4,210 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1994: 7.98 ft, below flood stage; 779 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 1995: 10.15 ft, action stage; 1,540 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1996: 11.77 ft, action stage; 2,110 cubic feet per secondFeb 18, 1997: 10.16 ft, action stage; 1,550 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1998: 15.00 ft, moderate flooding; 5,600 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 1999: 12.39 ft, action stage; 2,440 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2000: 11.73 ft, action stage; 2,100 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2001: 9.66 ft, action stage; 1,390 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2002: 7.02 ft, below flood stage; 636 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 2003: 11.41 ft, action stage; 1,980 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 2004: 14.57 ft, moderate flooding; 4,960 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2005: 13.19 ft, minor flooding; 3,230 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 2006: 8.90 ft, below flood stage; 1,210 cubic feet per secondApr 25, 2007: 13.80 ft, minor flooding; 3,950 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 2008: 15.14 ft, moderate flooding; 6,810 cubic feet per secondJul 28, 2008: 15.38 ft, moderate floodingApr 27, 2009: 12.54 ft, minor flooding; 2,550 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 2010: 16.14 ft, major flooding; 9,620 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2011: 11.89 ft, action stage; 2,640 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2012: 10.54 ft, action stage; 1,620 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2013: 9.33 ft, action stage; 1,300 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2014: 12.68 ft, minor flooding; 3,150 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2015: 12.32 ft, action stage; 3,150 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 2015: 12.17 ft, action stage; 3,020 cubic feet per secondJan 16, 2017: 10.36 ft, action stageMar 30, 2017: 6.68 ft, below flood stage; 683 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2018: 17.51 ft, major flooding; 12,000 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2019: 12.97 ft, minor flooding; 3,880 cubic feet per secondOct 2, 2019: 8.11 ft, below flood stage; 1,220 cubic feet per secondJun 26, 2021: 7.32 ft, below flood stage; 843 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 2022: 9.26 ft, action stage; 1,490 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2023: 6.97 ft, below flood stage; 787 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2024: 12.16 ft, action stage; 3,070 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 2025: 9.94 ft, action stage; 1,790 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 2026: 16.87 ft, major flooding Highest, 17.51 ft, Jul 1, 2018 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Fourmile Creek at Des Moines Easton Blvd 1970s: 4 1980s: 4 1990s: 3 2000s: 6 6 2010s: 4 2020s: 1 1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

The 50 highest of 57 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Fourmile Creek at Des Moines Easton Blvd
1Jul 1, 201817.51+5.01Major12,000
2Jul 3, 202616.87+4.37Major—
3Aug 11, 201016.14+3.64Major9,620
4Jul 28, 200815.38+2.88Moderate—
5Jun 6, 200815.14+2.64Moderate6,810
6Jun 18, 199815.00+2.50Moderate5,600
7Jun 9, 197414.84+2.34Moderate5,340
8Aug 28, 197714.64+2.14Moderate5,380
9May 23, 200414.57+2.07Moderate4,960
10Jul 16, 198214.46+1.96Moderate4,800
11Apr 18, 197614.20+1.70Moderate4,440
12Jun 16, 199014.18+1.68Moderate4,410
13Jul 9, 199314.02+1.52Moderate4,210
14Jun 29, 198313.92+1.42Minor4,080
15Apr 25, 200713.80+1.30Minor3,950
16Jul 15, 198413.62+1.12Minor3,720
17Apr 30, 198613.55+1.05Minor3,420
18May 13, 200513.19+0.69Minor3,230
19May 24, 201912.97+0.47Minor3,880
20Feb 1, 197312.71+0.21Minor2,600
21Jul 1, 201412.68+0.18Minor3,150
22Apr 27, 200912.54+0.04Minor2,550
23May 21, 199912.39−0.11Action2,440
24Jun 15, 201512.32−0.18Action3,150
25Dec 14, 201512.17−0.33Action3,020
26May 21, 202412.16−0.34Action3,070
27Aug 26, 198712.13−0.37Action2,490
28Jun 14, 201111.89−0.61Action2,640
29May 10, 199611.77−0.73Action2,110
30May 31, 200011.73−0.77Action2,100
31Mar 19, 197811.43−1.07Action1,900
32May 4, 200311.41−1.09Action1,980
33Jun 18, 197510.95−1.55Action1,820
34Apr 15, 201210.54−1.96Action1,620
35Jan 16, 201710.36−2.14Action—
36May 21, 199110.30−2.20Action1,520
37Feb 18, 199710.16−2.34Action1,550
38May 9, 199510.15−2.35Action1,540
39Mar 19, 197910.00−2.50Action1,470
40Jul 20, 20259.94−2.56Action1,790
41Jul 25, 19929.90−2.60Action1,350
42May 23, 19819.68−2.82Action1,260
43Apr 9, 20019.66−2.84Action1,390
44Jun 20, 19729.54−2.96Action1,440
45May 30, 20139.33−3.17Action1,300
46Apr 23, 20229.26−3.24Action1,490
47Mar 4, 19859.10−3.40Action1,160
48Apr 3, 20068.90−3.60Below flood stage1,210
49Oct 2, 20198.11−4.39Below flood stage1,220
50Jun 8, 19947.98−4.52Below flood stage779

The worst floods along the Fourmile Creek

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

July 1, 2018: 17.51 ft here, major flooding

August 11, 2010: 16.14 ft here, major flooding

July 28, 2008: 15.38 ft here, moderate flooding

Gauges on the Fourmile Creek

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Fourmile Creek
Ankeny NE 86th AveIA11.016.17 ft, Jul 1, 20180
Des Moines Easton Blvd this gaugeIA12.517.51 ft, Jul 1, 20183

Other gauges in Polk County

Flood gauges in Polk County
Grimes14.016.58 ft, Jul 10, 19930
Des Moines 2nd Ave23.031.57 ft, Jun 13, 20082
Des Moines SE 6th St24.035.55 ft, Jun 13, 20086
Saylorville Reservoir884.0892.03 ft, Jul 11, 19930
Ankeny NE 86th Ave11.016.17 ft, Jul 1, 20180
Des Moines Fleur Dr12.026.80 ft, Jul 11, 19931
Des Moines IA 2836.041.31 ft, Jun 13, 20083
Clive I-80/359.013.41 ft, Jun 25, 20150
Des Moines 63rd St14.019.08 ft, Jun 30, 20189

Polk County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Iowa

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge DFMI4, 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.