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Little Sioux River at Cherokee

Highest listed crest 32.98 ftFlood stage 17.0 ft34 crests since 1891

The Little Sioux River at Cherokee crested at major flood stage 9 times among the 34 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1891 to 2025. The highest, 32.98 ft on June 24, 2024, was major flooding, 15.98 feet above flood stage. 7 other gauges on the Little Sioux River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 6 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
32.98 ft
June 24, 2024
Flood stage
17.0 ft
Major flooding from 24.0 ft
Crests at major
9
29th of 203 gauges in Iowa
Most recent flood crest
June 24, 2024
32.98 ft, major flooding
Location
Cherokee County
Iowa
Identifiers
NWS CHKI4
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, Little Sioux River at Cherokee
Action stage15.04Jul 31, 2025The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)17.011May 4, 2016Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage21.09Jul 19, 2011Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage24.09Jun 24, 2024Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

34 crests from 1891 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Little Sioux River at Cherokee, 1891 to 2025 101520253035ft Flood stage 17.0 ftMajor 24.0 ft Jan 1, 1891: 25.70 ft, major floodingJul 5, 1943: 19.00 ft, minor floodingJun 13, 1944: 18.60 ft, minor floodingMar 12, 1945: 21.20 ft, moderate floodingApr 29, 1947: 21.60 ft, moderate floodingApr 6, 1951: 22.30 ft, moderate floodingJun 11, 1953: 22.70 ft, moderate floodingJun 20, 1954: 21.90 ft, moderate floodingApr 7, 1965: 27.20 ft, major floodingApr 7, 1969: 23.90 ft, moderate floodingJun 5, 1980: 15.67 ft, action stageJul 14, 1982: 20.16 ft, minor floodingJun 21, 1983: 23.90 ft, moderate floodingJun 18, 1984: 23.84 ft, moderate floodingApr 24, 1985: 19.70 ft, minor floodingMay 17, 1986: 17.40 ft, minor floodingMar 19, 1992: 19.41 ft, minor floodingJul 18, 1993: 27.08 ft, major floodingJun 28, 1994: 20.36 ft, minor floodingJun 21, 1996: 19.35 ft, minor floodingApr 14, 2001: 16.80 ft, action stageSep 16, 2004: 19.70 ft, minor floodingMar 21, 2007: 20.50 ft, minor floodingJun 27, 2010: 27.30 ft, major floodingJul 19, 2011: 22.70 ft, moderate floodingMay 27, 2013: 27.90 ft, major floodingJun 19, 2014: 25.55 ft, major floodingMay 4, 2016: 19.83 ft, minor floodingSep 21, 2018: 27.00 ft, major floodingMar 14, 2019: 28.40 ft, major floodingMay 28, 2020: 16.38 ft, action stageMay 18, 2023: 12.71 ft, below flood stageJun 24, 2024: 32.98 ft, major floodingJul 31, 2025: 16.81 ft, action stage Highest, 32.98 ft, Jun 24, 2024 1900192019401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Little Sioux River at Cherokee 1890s: 1 1900s: 0 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 4 1950s: 3 1960s: 2 1970s: 0 1980s: 5 1990s: 4 2000s: 2 2010s: 7 7 2020s: 1 1890s1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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, Little Sioux River at Cherokee
1Jun 24, 202432.98+15.98Major—
2Mar 14, 201928.40+11.40Major—
3May 27, 201327.90+10.90Major—
4Jun 27, 201027.30+10.30Major—
5Apr 7, 196527.20+10.20Major—
6Jul 18, 199327.08+10.08Major—
7Sep 21, 201827.00+10.00Major—
8Jan 1, 189125.70+8.70Major—
9Jun 19, 201425.55+8.55Major—
10Apr 7, 196923.90+6.90Moderate—
11Jun 21, 198323.90+6.90Moderate—
12Jun 18, 198423.84+6.84Moderate—
13Jun 11, 195322.70+5.70Moderate—
14Jul 19, 201122.70+5.70Moderate—
15Apr 6, 195122.30+5.30Moderate—
16Jun 20, 195421.90+4.90Moderate—
17Apr 29, 194721.60+4.60Moderate—
18Mar 12, 194521.20+4.20Moderate—
19Mar 21, 200720.50+3.50Minor—
20Jun 28, 199420.36+3.36Minor—
21Jul 14, 198220.16+3.16Minor—
22May 4, 201619.83+2.83Minor—
23Apr 24, 198519.70+2.70Minor—
24Sep 16, 200419.70+2.70Minor—
25Mar 19, 199219.41+2.41Minor—
26Jun 21, 199619.35+2.35Minor—
27Jul 5, 194319.00+2.00Minor—
28Jun 13, 194418.60+1.60Minor—
29May 17, 198617.40+0.40Minor—
30Jul 31, 202516.81−0.19Action—
31Apr 14, 200116.80−0.20Action—
32May 28, 202016.38−0.62Action—
33Jun 5, 198015.67−1.33Action—
34May 18, 202312.71−4.29Below flood stage—

The worst floods along the Little Sioux River

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

June 24, 2024: 32.98 ft here, major flooding

  • MontgomeryIA · Jun 23, 2024 · 1,395.88 ft · Major · its highest
  • Spencer / Highway 18IA · Jun 22, 2024 · 1,328.17 ft · Major · its highest
  • CorrectionvilleIA · Jun 24, 2024 · 30.92 ft · Major · its highest
  • Linn GroveIA · Jun 23, 2024 · 29.98 ft · Major · its highest
  • SpencerIA · Jun 22, 2024 · 22.20 ft · Major · its highest
  • MilfordIA · Jun 22, 2024 · 20.40 ft · Major · its highest
  • TurinIA · Jun 26, 2024 · 27.37 ft · Minor

March 14, 2019: 28.40 ft here, major flooding

  • CorrectionvilleIA · Mar 15, 2019 · 26.45 ft · Major
  • Linn GroveIA · Mar 16, 2019 · 24.13 ft · Major
  • SpencerIA · Mar 15, 2019 · 17.45 ft · Major
  • MontgomeryIA · Mar 16, 2019 · 1,394.32 ft · Moderate
  • Spencer / Highway 18IA · Mar 18, 2019 · 1,325.50 ft · Moderate
  • TurinIA · Mar 15, 2019 · 29.57 ft · Moderate · its highest
  • MilfordIA · Mar 18, 2019 · 18.02 ft · Moderate

May 27, 2013: 27.90 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the Little Sioux River

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

Flood gauges on the Little Sioux River
SpencerIA10.014.45 ft, Jul 15, 20110
Cherokee this gaugeIA17.032.98 ft, Jun 24, 20249
CorrectionvilleIA19.030.92 ft, Jun 24, 202412
Linn GroveIA16.529.98 ft, Jun 23, 20246
SpencerIA10.022.20 ft, Jun 22, 202412
MilfordIA13.020.40 ft, Jun 22, 20242
MontgomeryIA1,391.01,395.88 ft, Jun 23, 20242
Spencer / Highway 18IA1,322.01,328.17 ft, Jun 22, 20241
TurinIA25.029.57 ft, Mar 15, 20190

Other gauges in Cherokee County

Flood gauges in Cherokee County
Larrabee1,241.01,250.41 ft, Jun 22, 20240

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CHKI4, 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.