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Iowa River at Wapello

Highest listed crest 32.15 ftFlood stage 21.0 ft56 crests since 1973

The Iowa River at Wapello crested at major flood stage 7 times among the 56 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1973 to 2020. The highest, 32.15 ft on June 14, 2008, was major flooding, 11.15 feet above flood stage. 10 other gauges on the Iowa River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 8 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
32.15 ft
June 14, 2008; 188,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
21.0 ft
Major flooding from 27.5 ft
Crests at major
7
35th of 203 gauges in Iowa
Most recent flood crest
June 28, 2020
24.03 ft, minor flooding
Location
Louisa County
Iowa

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Iowa River at Wapello
Action stage18.514Apr 8, 2017The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)21.021Jun 28, 2020Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage25.09May 31, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage27.57Jul 3, 2014Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

56 crests from 1973 to 2020. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Iowa River at Wapello, 1973 to 2020 1520253035ft Flood stage 21.0 ftMajor 27.5 ft Apr 22, 1973: 28.63 ft, major flooding; 92,000 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1974: 28.12 ft, major flooding; 82,200 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 1975: 21.78 ft, minor flooding; 38,700 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 1976: 21.41 ft, minor flooding; 36,600 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 1977: 18.23 ft, below flood stage; 21,100 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1978: 20.14 ft, action stage; 30,300 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1979: 25.30 ft, moderate flooding; 63,700 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1980: 18.17 ft, below flood stage; 21,300 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1981: 18.15 ft, below flood stage; 19,900 cubic feet per secondJul 20, 1982: 23.61 ft, minor flooding; 48,900 cubic feet per secondApr 4, 1983: 22.48 ft, minor flooding; 38,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1984: 22.18 ft, minor floodingFeb 24, 1984: 21.78 ft, minor flooding; 35,300 cubic feet per secondFeb 25, 1985: 23.37 ft, minor flooding; 44,400 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 1986: 25.14 ft, moderate flooding; 56,000 cubic feet per secondOct 27, 1986: 19.40 ft, action stage; 24,300 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1988: 19.32 ft, action stage; 12,200 cubic feet per secondSep 10, 1989: 15.47 ft, below flood stage; 11,400 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1990: 28.91 ft, major flooding; 86,600 cubic feet per secondMay 26, 1991: 23.82 ft, minor flooding; 49,600 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1992: 20.55 ft, action stage; 31,700 cubic feet per secondJul 7, 1993: 29.53 ft, major floodingOct 1, 1993: 19.76 ft, action stageMar 12, 1994: 19.67 ft, action stage; 31,100 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1995: 20.60 ft, action stage; 36,700 cubic feet per secondMay 12, 1996: 24.77 ft, minor flooding; 74,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1997: 24.70 ft, minor flooding; 73,700 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 1998: 22.97 ft, minor flooding; 49,000 cubic feet per secondJul 29, 1999: 25.09 ft, moderate flooding; 61,000 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 2000: 21.01 ft, minor flooding; 34,200 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2001: 22.75 ft, minor flooding; 42,900 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 2002: 19.13 ft, action stage; 28,800 cubic feet per secondMay 19, 2003: 19.69 ft, action stage; 28,500 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2004: 26.65 ft, moderate flooding; 65,700 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 2005: 19.62 ft, action stage; 29,400 cubic feet per secondApr 10, 2006: 18.43 ft, below flood stage; 22,900 cubic feet per secondMar 25, 2007: 21.38 ft, minor floodingApr 28, 2007: 21.30 ft, minor flooding; 35,600 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2008: 32.15 ft, major flooding; 188,000 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 2009: 23.29 ft, minor flooding; 50,800 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 2009: 23.37 ft, minor flooding; 44,600 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 2010: 24.40 ft, minor flooding; 52,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 2011: 21.17 ft, minor floodingJun 16, 2011: 20.95 ft, action stage; 34,900 cubic feet per secondMay 5, 2012: 18.66 ft, action stage; 26,500 cubic feet per secondApr 20, 2013: 28.15 ft, major flooding; 95,800 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 2014: 30.18 ft, major flooding; 107,000 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2015: 20.76 ft, action stage; 34,500 cubic feet per secondSep 30, 2016: 27.20 ft, moderate flooding; 76,700 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 2017: 19.89 ft, action stage; 29,100 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 2018: 25.81 ft, moderate floodingOct 11, 2018: 26.78 ft, moderate floodingMar 21, 2019: 26.47 ft, moderate flooding; 74,642 cubic feet per secondMay 21, 2019: 21.49 ft, minor flooding; 39,221 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 2019: 27.21 ft, moderate flooding; 80,848 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2020: 24.03 ft, minor flooding; 55,911 cubic feet per second Highest, 32.15 ft, Jun 14, 2008 19801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Iowa River at Wapello 1970s: 5 1980s: 6 1990s: 7 2000s: 8 2010s: 10 10 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.
  3. 62 crests measured on an earlier gauge datum are left out: 14.30 ft on Apr 3, 1912; 11.50 ft on Feb 26, 1915; 12.70 ft on Mar 28, 1916; 13.20 ft on Mar 29, 1917; 15.00 ft on Jun 8, 1918; 10.80 ft on Mar 23, 1919; and more.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 56 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Iowa River at Wapello
1Jun 14, 200832.15+11.15Major188,000
2Jul 3, 201430.18+9.18Major107,000
3Jul 7, 199329.53+8.53Major—
4Jun 19, 199028.91+7.91Major86,600
5Apr 22, 197328.63+7.63Major92,000
6Apr 20, 201328.15+7.15Major95,800
7May 19, 197428.12+7.12Major82,200
8May 31, 201927.21+6.21Moderate80,848
9Sep 30, 201627.20+6.20Moderate76,700
10Oct 11, 201826.78+5.78Moderate—
11May 31, 200426.65+5.65Moderate65,700
12Mar 21, 201926.47+5.47Moderate74,642
13Sep 8, 201825.81+4.81Moderate—
14Mar 22, 197925.30+4.30Moderate63,700
15May 19, 198625.14+4.14Moderate56,000
16Jul 29, 199925.09+4.09Moderate61,000
17May 12, 199624.77+3.77Minor74,500
18Feb 23, 199724.70+3.70Minor73,700
19Mar 19, 201024.40+3.40Minor52,000
20Jun 28, 202024.03+3.03Minor55,911
21May 26, 199123.82+2.82Minor49,600
22Jul 20, 198223.61+2.61Minor48,900
23Feb 25, 198523.37+2.37Minor44,400
24Aug 31, 200923.37+2.37Minor44,600
25Mar 10, 200923.29+2.29Minor50,800
26Jul 1, 199822.97+1.97Minor49,000
27Apr 20, 200122.75+1.75Minor42,900
28Apr 4, 198322.48+1.48Minor38,900
29Feb 15, 198422.18+1.18Minor—
30Mar 25, 197521.78+0.78Minor38,700
31Feb 24, 198421.78+0.78Minor35,300
32May 21, 201921.49+0.49Minor39,221
33Apr 27, 197621.41+0.41Minor36,600
34Mar 25, 200721.38+0.38Minor—
35Apr 28, 200721.30+0.30Minor35,600
36Feb 19, 201121.17+0.17Minor—
37Jul 19, 200021.01+0.01Minor34,200
38Jun 16, 201120.95−0.05Action34,900
39Jun 17, 201520.76−0.24Action34,500
40Apr 29, 199520.60−0.40Action36,700
41Apr 28, 199220.55−0.45Action31,700
42Mar 22, 197820.14−0.86Action30,300
43Apr 8, 201719.89−1.11Action29,100
44Oct 1, 199319.76−1.24Action—
45May 19, 200319.69−1.31Action28,500
46Mar 12, 199419.67−1.33Action31,100
47Jul 6, 200519.62−1.38Action29,400
48Oct 27, 198619.40−1.60Action24,300
49Jan 21, 198819.32−1.68Action12,200
50Jun 7, 200219.13−1.87Action28,800

The worst floods along the Iowa River

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

June 14, 2008: 32.15 ft here, major flooding

  • Columbus JctIA · Jun 15, 2008 · 32.30 ft · Major · its highest
  • Iowa CityIA · Jun 15, 2008 · 31.53 ft · Major · its highest
  • OakvilleIA · Jun 14, 2008 · 23.22 ft · Major · its highest
  • Lone Tree (Tri-County Bridge)IA · Jun 15, 2008 · 23.10 ft · Major · its highest
  • MarengoIA · Jun 12, 2008 · 21.38 ft · Major · its highest
  • RowanIA · Jun 9, 2008 · 15.89 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • MarshalltownIA · Jun 13, 2008 · 21.79 ft · Minor
  • Tama US 63IA · Jun 13, 2008 · 21.31 ft · Minor
  • Belle PlaineIA · Jun 13, 2008 · 19.86 ft · Minor · its highest
  • Steamboat RockIA · Jun 8, 2008 · 17.86 ft · Minor · its highest

July 3, 2014: 30.18 ft here, major flooding

July 7, 1993: 29.53 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Iowa River

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

Flood gauges on the Iowa River
Belle PlaineIA15.019.86 ft, Jun 13, 20080
Columbus JctIA23.032.30 ft, Jun 15, 20083
Iowa CityIA23.531.53 ft, Jun 15, 20082
MarengoIA15.021.38 ft, Jun 12, 200810
MarshalltownIA19.022.25 ft, Jul 2, 20140
OakvilleIA11.023.22 ft, Jun 14, 20081
Steamboat RockIA11.017.86 ft, Jun 8, 20080
Wapello this gaugeIA21.032.15 ft, Jun 14, 20087
Lone Tree (Tri-County Bridge)IA16.023.10 ft, Jun 15, 20083
RowanIA12.515.89 ft, Jun 9, 20080
Tama Hwy E49IA12.515.20 ft, May 28, 20133
Tama US 63IA20.022.31 ft, Apr 28, 20070

Other gauges in Louisa County

Flood gauges in Louisa County
Columbus Jct23.032.30 ft, Jun 15, 20083
Oakville11.023.22 ft, Jun 14, 20081
Lone Tree (Tri-County Bridge)16.023.10 ft, Jun 15, 20083
Keithsburg14.024.49 ft, Jun 17, 200822

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge WAPI4, 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.