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Little Sioux River near Milford

Highest listed crest 20.40 ftFlood stage 13.0 ft17 crests since 1982

The Little Sioux River near Milford crested at major flood stage 2 times among the 17 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1982 to 2024. The highest, 20.40 ft on June 22, 2024, was major flooding, 7.40 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
20.40 ft
June 22, 2024
Flood stage
13.0 ft
Major flooding from 20.0 ft
Crests at major
2
70th of 203 gauges in Iowa
Most recent flood crest
June 22, 2024
20.40 ft, major flooding
Location
Dickinson County
Near Spencer (12.7 mi)
Identifiers
NWS MIFI4
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 near Milford
Action stage11.02May 24, 2017The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)13.08Apr 5, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage16.05Mar 18, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage20.02Jun 22, 2024Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

17 crests from 1982 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Little Sioux River near Milford, 1982 to 2024 121416182022ft Flood stage 13.0 ftMajor 20.0 ft Mar 1, 1982: 13.95 ft, minor floodingMar 31, 1996: 12.80 ft, action stageMar 24, 1997: 14.28 ft, minor floodingJun 14, 2001: 15.25 ft, minor floodingApr 9, 2006: 15.91 ft, minor floodingAug 23, 2007: 16.84 ft, moderate floodingMar 17, 2010: 16.65 ft, moderate floodingJul 15, 2011: 17.50 ft, moderate floodingMay 31, 2012: 13.70 ft, minor floodingJun 19, 2014: 17.37 ft, moderate floodingMay 3, 2016: 14.00 ft, minor floodingMay 24, 2017: 12.50 ft, action stageJun 25, 2018: 20.10 ft, major floodingMar 18, 2019: 18.02 ft, moderate floodingMar 9, 2020: 15.19 ft, minor floodingApr 5, 2023: 13.59 ft, minor floodingJun 22, 2024: 20.40 ft, major flooding Highest, 20.40 ft, Jun 22, 2024 1990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Little Sioux River near Milford 1980s: 1 1990s: 1 2000s: 3 2010s: 7 7 2020s: 3 1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 near Milford
1Jun 22, 202420.40+7.40Major—
2Jun 25, 201820.10+7.10Major—
3Mar 18, 201918.02+5.02Moderate—
4Jul 15, 201117.50+4.50Moderate—
5Jun 19, 201417.37+4.37Moderate—
6Aug 23, 200716.84+3.84Moderate—
7Mar 17, 201016.65+3.65Moderate—
8Apr 9, 200615.91+2.91Minor—
9Jun 14, 200115.25+2.25Minor—
10Mar 9, 202015.19+2.19Minor—
11Mar 24, 199714.28+1.28Minor—
12May 3, 201614.00+1.00Minor—
13Mar 1, 198213.95+0.95Minor—
14May 31, 201213.70+0.70Minor—
15Apr 5, 202313.59+0.59Minor—
16Mar 31, 199612.80−0.20Action—
17May 24, 201712.50−0.50Action—

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 22, 2024: 20.40 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
  • CherokeeIA · Jun 24, 2024 · 32.98 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
  • TurinIA · Jun 26, 2024 · 27.37 ft · Minor

June 25, 2018: 20.10 ft here, major flooding

March 18, 2019: 18.02 ft here, moderate flooding

  • CherokeeIA · Mar 14, 2019 · 28.40 ft · Major
  • 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

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
CherokeeIA17.032.98 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
Milford this gaugeIA13.020.40 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 Dickinson County

Flood gauges in Dickinson County
East Okoboji Lake at East/West Okoboji Lake Channel8.58.50 ft, Jul 5, 20180
Montgomery1,391.01,395.88 ft, Jun 23, 20242
Spirit Lake near Orleans16.018.79 ft, Jul 18, 19930
Lake Park1,396.01,400.01 ft, Jun 22, 20240
West Okoboji Lake near Milford6.58.66 ft, Jul 17, 19930

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge MIFI4, 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.