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South Skunk River near Ames W Riverside Rd

Highest listed crest 20.89 ftFlood stage 12.5 ft105 crests since 1921

The South Skunk River near Ames W Riverside Rd crested at major flood stage 10 times among the 105 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1921 to 2025. The highest, 20.89 ft on June 17, 1996, was major flooding, 8.39 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the South Skunk River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
20.89 ft
June 17, 1996; 14,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.5 ft
Major flooding from 16.5 ft
Crests at major
10
26th of 203 gauges in Iowa
Most recent flood crest
March 14, 2019
13.97 ft, minor flooding
Location
Story County
Near Ames (2.8 mi), Boone (13.0 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, South Skunk River near Ames W Riverside Rd
Action stage11.018Jun 15, 2022The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.541Mar 14, 2019Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage16.01Nov 24, 1929Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.510Aug 29, 2015Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

105 crests from 1921 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the South Skunk River near Ames W Riverside Rd, 1921 to 2025 0510152025ft Flood stage 12.5 ftMajor 16.5 ft Sep 17, 1921: 14.20 ft, minor flooding; 3,540 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1922: 14.00 ft, minor flooding; 3,370 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1923: 11.22 ft, action stage; 1,670 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 1924: 13.21 ft, minor flooding; 3,010 cubic feet per secondAug 7, 1925: 10.00 ft, below flood stage; 905 cubic feet per secondSep 19, 1926: 13.26 ft, minor flooding; 3,120 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1927: 12.40 ft, action stage; 2,460 cubic feet per secondNov 24, 1929: 16.20 ft, moderate flooding; 5,230 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1933: 11.47 ft, action stage; 1,990 cubic feet per secondJan 22, 1934: 10.39 ft, below flood stage; 600 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 1935: 14.00 ft, minor flooding; 3,490 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1936: 12.70 ft, minor flooding; 2,580 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1937: 13.40 ft, minor flooding; 3,000 cubic feet per secondMay 4, 1938: 13.30 ft, minor flooding; 2,890 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1939: 15.50 ft, minor flooding; 3,230 cubic feet per secondAug 13, 1940: 12.30 ft, action stage; 2,320 cubic feet per secondSep 8, 1941: 13.60 ft, minor flooding; 3,050 cubic feet per secondSep 14, 1942: 13.10 ft, minor flooding; 2,530 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 1943: 15.30 ft, minor flooding; 4,500 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1944: 18.90 ft, major flooding; 8,060 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 1945: 14.70 ft, minor flooding; 4,010 cubic feet per secondFeb 5, 1946: 12.10 ft, action stage; 2,270 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1947: 16.95 ft, major flooding; 6,550 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1948: 12.35 ft, action stage; 2,620 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1949: 15.52 ft, minor flooding; 3,000 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1950: 13.86 ft, minor flooding; 3,820 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1951: 15.90 ft, minor flooding; 5,320 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1952: 10.73 ft, below flood stage; 1,630 cubic feet per secondMay 1, 1953: 9.71 ft, below flood stage; 980 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 1954: 18.66 ft, major flooding; 8,630 cubic feet per secondOct 15, 1954: 10.22 ft, below flood stage; 1,340 cubic feet per secondSep 4, 1956: 8.49 ft, below flood stage; 376 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1957: 13.28 ft, minor flooding; 3,540 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 1958: 12.85 ft, minor flooding; 3,150 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1959: 10.83 ft, below flood stage; 1,720 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1960: 15.33 ft, minor flooding; 6,210 cubic feet per secondFeb 23, 1961: 10.71 ft, below flood stage; 1,990 cubic feet per secondJul 14, 1962: 14.02 ft, minor flooding; 4,300 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1963: 10.65 ft, below flood stage; 1,820 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1964: 10.91 ft, below flood stage; 2,170 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1965: 14.43 ft, minor flooding; 5,260 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1966: 11.92 ft, action stage; 2,900 cubic feet per secondJun 8, 1967: 11.63 ft, action stage; 2,790 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1968: 13.74 ft, minor flooding; 4,890 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 1969: 13.49 ft, minor flooding; 4,380 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1970: 10.10 ft, below flood stage; 1,330 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1971: 14.10 ft, minor floodingMar 7, 1972: 13.93 ft, minor floodingAug 7, 1972: 11.92 ft, action stage; 3,030 cubic feet per secondFeb 2, 1973: 12.94 ft, minor floodingApr 16, 1973: 12.30 ft, action stage; 3,340 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1974: 14.61 ft, minor flooding; 5,780 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 1975: 14.98 ft, minor flooding; 5,230 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1976: 12.54 ft, minor flooding; 3,580 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 1977: 14.46 ft, minor flooding; 5,300 cubic feet per secondSep 14, 1978: 10.93 ft, below flood stage; 2,240 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1979: 14.13 ft, minor flooding; 4,980 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 1980: 11.54 ft, action stage; 2,720 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1981: 10.61 ft, below flood stage; 1,880 cubic feet per secondJul 19, 1982: 12.53 ft, minor flooding; 3,490 cubic feet per secondJul 3, 1983: 14.43 ft, minor flooding; 5,150 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1984: 14.19 ft, minor flooding; 5,020 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1985: 10.75 ft, below flood stage; 1,980 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 1986: 13.11 ft, minor flooding; 4,040 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 1987: 11.84 ft, action stage; 3,040 cubic feet per secondNov 29, 1987: 8.98 ft, below flood stage; 565 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1989: 9.98 ft, below flood stage; 370 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1990: 16.84 ft, major flooding; 6,600 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1991: 13.73 ft, minor flooding; 4,700 cubic feet per secondJul 16, 1992: 11.00 ft, action stage; 2,350 cubic feet per secondAug 16, 1993: 19.23 ft, major flooding; 11,200 cubic feet per secondJun 7, 1994: 11.20 ft, action stage; 2,340 cubic feet per secondMay 10, 1995: 10.48 ft, below flood stage; 1,640 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1996: 20.89 ft, major flooding; 14,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1997: 11.23 ft, action stageJun 18, 1998: 13.70 ft, minor flooding; 4,760 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1999: 11.98 ft, action stage; 3,630 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2000: 9.51 ft, below flood stage; 906 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2001: 10.83 ft, below flood stageMay 22, 2001: 10.75 ft, below flood stage; 1,990 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2002: 9.56 ft, below flood stage; 1,070 cubic feet per secondJul 10, 2003: 10.92 ft, below flood stage; 2,030 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 2004: 9.24 ft, below flood stage; 2,520 cubic feet per secondMay 14, 2005: 8.59 ft, below flood stage; 2,310 cubic feet per secondSep 11, 2006: 9.45 ft, below flood stage; 3,330 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 2007: 14.82 ft, minor flooding; 6,510 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2008: 16.93 ft, major flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondMar 9, 2009: 10.48 ft, below flood stage; 4,560 cubic feet per secondAug 11, 2010: 19.04 ft, major flooding; 14,800 cubic feet per secondApr 27, 2011: 7.03 ft, below flood stage; 1,620 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2012: 5.07 ft, below flood stage; 730 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2013: 13.30 ft, minor flooding; 6,740 cubic feet per secondJul 1, 2014: 16.64 ft, major floodingAug 29, 2015: 16.93 ft, major flooding; 11,200 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 2015: 13.00 ft, minor flooding; 6,420 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 2017: 8.02 ft, below flood stageMay 20, 2017: 7.46 ft, below flood stage; 1,890 cubic feet per secondSep 6, 2018: 11.10 ft, action stage; 4,380 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2019: 13.97 ft, minor flooding; 6,740 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2020: 9.65 ft, below flood stage; 3,260 cubic feet per secondMar 5, 2021: 4.83 ft, below flood stage; 455 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 2022: 11.26 ft, action stage; 4,210 cubic feet per secondFeb 28, 2023: 9.27 ft, below flood stage; 2,910 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2024: 8.90 ft, below flood stage; 2,770 cubic feet per secondAug 10, 2025: 9.36 ft, below flood stage; 3,190 cubic feet per second Highest, 20.89 ft, Jun 17, 1996 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, South Skunk River near Ames W Riverside Rd 1920s: 5 1930s: 5 1940s: 7 1950s: 5 1960s: 5 1970s: 8 8 1980s: 4 1990s: 5 2000s: 2 2010s: 6 2020s: 0 1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 105 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, South Skunk River near Ames W Riverside Rd
1Jun 17, 199620.89+8.39Major14,000
2Aug 16, 199319.23+6.73Major11,200
3Aug 11, 201019.04+6.54Major14,800
4May 20, 194418.90+6.40Major8,060
5Jun 10, 195418.66+6.16Major8,630
6Jun 13, 194716.95+4.45Major6,550
7Jun 9, 200816.93+4.43Major11,000
8Aug 29, 201516.93+4.43Major11,200
9Jun 17, 199016.84+4.34Major6,600
10Jul 1, 201416.64+4.14Major—
11Nov 24, 192916.20+3.70Moderate5,230
12Mar 29, 195115.90+3.40Minor5,320
13Mar 4, 194915.52+3.02Minor3,000
14Mar 14, 193915.50+3.00Minor3,230
15Mar 30, 196015.33+2.83Minor6,210
16Jul 31, 194315.30+2.80Minor4,500
17Jun 28, 197514.98+2.48Minor5,230
18Apr 26, 200714.82+2.32Minor6,510
19Jun 2, 194514.70+2.20Minor4,010
20Jun 23, 197414.61+2.11Minor5,780
21Aug 16, 197714.46+1.96Minor5,300
22Apr 6, 196514.43+1.93Minor5,260
23Jul 3, 198314.43+1.93Minor5,150
24Sep 17, 192114.20+1.70Minor3,540
25Jun 13, 198414.19+1.69Minor5,020
26Mar 19, 197914.13+1.63Minor4,980
27Feb 19, 197114.10+1.60Minor—
28Jul 14, 196214.02+1.52Minor4,300
29Feb 23, 192214.00+1.50Minor3,370
30Mar 5, 193514.00+1.50Minor3,490
31Mar 14, 201913.97+1.47Minor6,740
32Mar 7, 197213.93+1.43Minor—
33Mar 7, 195013.86+1.36Minor3,820
34Jun 25, 196813.74+1.24Minor4,890
35Jun 4, 199113.73+1.23Minor4,700
36Jun 18, 199813.70+1.20Minor4,760
37Sep 8, 194113.60+1.10Minor3,050
38Jul 10, 196913.49+0.99Minor4,380
39Mar 6, 193713.40+0.90Minor3,000
40May 4, 193813.30+0.80Minor2,890
41May 28, 201313.30+0.80Minor6,740
42Jun 16, 195713.28+0.78Minor3,540
43Sep 19, 192613.26+0.76Minor3,120
44Jun 28, 192413.21+0.71Minor3,010
45Jun 30, 198613.11+0.61Minor4,040
46Sep 14, 194213.10+0.60Minor2,530
47Dec 15, 201513.00+0.50Minor6,420
48Feb 2, 197312.94+0.44Minor—
49Jul 4, 195812.85+0.35Minor3,150
50Mar 10, 193612.70+0.20Minor2,580

The worst floods along the South Skunk River

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

June 17, 1996: 20.89 ft here, major flooding

  • Ames US 30IA · Jun 17, 1996 · 25.13 ft · Major
  • ColfaxIA · Jun 19, 1996 · 18.23 ft · Minor

August 11, 2010: 19.04 ft here, major flooding

  • Ames US 30IA · Aug 11, 2010 · 26.72 ft · Major · its highest
  • ColfaxIA · Aug 14, 2010 · 23.85 ft · Major · its highest
  • OskaloosaIA · Aug 16, 2010 · 26.40 ft · Minor · its highest

May 20, 1944: 18.90 ft here, major flooding

Gauges on the South Skunk River

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

Flood gauges on the South Skunk River
Ames W Riverside Rd this gaugeIA12.520.89 ft, Jun 17, 199610
Ames US 30IA21.526.72 ft, Aug 11, 20106
ColfaxIA18.023.85 ft, Aug 14, 20102
OskaloosaIA24.526.40 ft, Aug 16, 20100

Other gauges in Story County

Flood gauges in Story County
Ames Lincoln Way10.018.54 ft, Jul 9, 19934
Ames US 3021.526.72 ft, Aug 11, 20106

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge AMEI4, 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.