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Spirit Lake near Orleans

Highest listed crest 18.79 ftFlood stage 16.0 ft74 crests since 1933

The Spirit Lake near Orleans crested above flood stage 2 times among the 74 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1933 to 2025. The highest, 18.79 ft on July 18, 1993, was moderate flooding, 2.79 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
18.79 ft
July 18, 1993
Flood stage
16.0 ft
Major flooding from 19.0 ft
Crests at major
0
2 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
June 25, 2024
16.48 ft, minor flooding
Location
Dickinson County
Iowa

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Spirit Lake near Orleans
Action stage15.510Mar 26, 2019The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)16.01Jun 25, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage17.01Jul 18, 1993Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage19.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

74 crests from 1933 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Spirit Lake near Orleans, 1933 to 2025 8101214161820ft Flood stage 16.0 ftMajor 19.0 ft May 20, 1933: 9.88 ft, below flood stageJun 25, 1935: 8.30 ft, below flood stageMay 24, 1936: 8.41 ft, below flood stageJun 26, 1937: 8.42 ft, below flood stageSep 30, 1938: 11.10 ft, below flood stageMay 28, 1939: 11.80 ft, below flood stageJun 7, 1940: 10.78 ft, below flood stageMay 27, 1941: 10.31 ft, below flood stageSep 19, 1942: 11.47 ft, below flood stageAug 30, 1943: 14.67 ft, below flood stageJun 17, 1944: 15.59 ft, action stageJun 24, 1945: 15.66 ft, action stageJun 25, 1946: 15.14 ft, below flood stageJul 5, 1947: 15.34 ft, below flood stageMay 26, 1948: 14.78 ft, below flood stageApr 14, 1949: 14.65 ft, below flood stageJul 27, 1950: 13.06 ft, below flood stageJul 13, 1951: 15.23 ft, below flood stageMar 23, 1952: 15.36 ft, below flood stageJun 14, 1953: 15.27 ft, below flood stageJul 3, 1954: 14.82 ft, below flood stageApr 25, 1955: 14.58 ft, below flood stageMay 13, 1956: 12.81 ft, below flood stageJul 8, 1957: 12.28 ft, below flood stageApr 24, 1958: 11.69 ft, below flood stageJun 2, 1959: 10.15 ft, below flood stageJul 13, 1960: 11.11 ft, below flood stageJun 14, 1961: 12.70 ft, below flood stageJul 13, 1962: 15.22 ft, below flood stageApr 2, 1963: 14.10 ft, below flood stageMay 17, 1964: 13.64 ft, below flood stageApr 14, 1965: 15.25 ft, below flood stageApr 29, 1966: 14.55 ft, below flood stageJul 1, 1967: 14.10 ft, below flood stageJul 10, 1969: 15.72 ft, action stageMay 15, 1970: 14.70 ft, below flood stageApr 3, 1971: 15.13 ft, below flood stageJun 9, 1972: 14.47 ft, below flood stageMar 26, 1973: 14.68 ft, below flood stageJun 11, 1974: 14.61 ft, below flood stageJun 24, 1975: 14.69 ft, below flood stageJun 18, 1990: 11.48 ft, below flood stageJun 28, 1991: 14.55 ft, below flood stageApr 21, 1992: 15.63 ft, action stageJul 18, 1993: 18.79 ft, moderate floodingJun 23, 1994: 15.54 ft, action stageApr 12, 1995: 15.76 ft, action stageMay 28, 1996: 14.81 ft, below flood stageApr 5, 1997: 14.93 ft, below flood stageJun 18, 1998: 14.24 ft, below flood stageJun 11, 1999: 14.79 ft, below flood stageJul 11, 2000: 13.11 ft, below flood stageJun 17, 2001: 15.25 ft, below flood stageJun 20, 2002: 13.76 ft, below flood stageJul 8, 2003: 13.66 ft, below flood stageSep 30, 2004: 13.07 ft, below flood stageMay 21, 2005: 15.28 ft, below flood stageApr 10, 2006: 15.54 ft, action stageMar 31, 2007: 15.68 ft, action stageMay 8, 2009: 14.66 ft, below flood stageMar 24, 2010: 15.25 ft, below flood stageSep 16, 2011: 15.45 ft, below flood stageJun 10, 2012: 14.62 ft, below flood stageJun 25, 2013: 14.67 ft, below flood stageJun 27, 2014: 14.85 ft, below flood stageJun 22, 2015: 14.14 ft, below flood stageMay 12, 2016: 15.22 ft, below flood stageMay 24, 2017: 15.05 ft, below flood stageJul 5, 2018: 15.94 ft, action stageMar 26, 2019: 15.58 ft, action stageApr 1, 2020: 15.03 ft, below flood stageMay 14, 2023: 14.70 ft, below flood stageJun 25, 2024: 16.48 ft, minor floodingAug 21, 2025: 14.74 ft, below flood stage Highest, 18.79 ft, Jul 18, 1993 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Spirit Lake near Orleans 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 1 1 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 2020s: 1 1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 74 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Spirit Lake near Orleans
1Jul 18, 199318.79+2.79Moderate—
2Jun 25, 202416.48+0.48Minor—
3Jul 5, 201815.94−0.06Action—
4Apr 12, 199515.76−0.24Action—
5Jul 10, 196915.72−0.28Action—
6Mar 31, 200715.68−0.32Action—
7Jun 24, 194515.66−0.34Action—
8Apr 21, 199215.63−0.37Action—
9Jun 17, 194415.59−0.41Action—
10Mar 26, 201915.58−0.42Action—
11Jun 23, 199415.54−0.46Action—
12Apr 10, 200615.54−0.46Action—
13Sep 16, 201115.45−0.55Below flood stage—
14Mar 23, 195215.36−0.64Below flood stage—
15Jul 5, 194715.34−0.66Below flood stage—
16May 21, 200515.28−0.72Below flood stage—
17Jun 14, 195315.27−0.73Below flood stage—
18Apr 14, 196515.25−0.75Below flood stage—
19Jun 17, 200115.25−0.75Below flood stage—
20Mar 24, 201015.25−0.75Below flood stage—
21Jul 13, 195115.23−0.77Below flood stage—
22Jul 13, 196215.22−0.78Below flood stage—
23May 12, 201615.22−0.78Below flood stage—
24Jun 25, 194615.14−0.86Below flood stage—
25Apr 3, 197115.13−0.87Below flood stage—
26May 24, 201715.05−0.95Below flood stage—
27Apr 1, 202015.03−0.97Below flood stage—
28Apr 5, 199714.93−1.07Below flood stage—
29Jun 27, 201414.85−1.15Below flood stage—
30Jul 3, 195414.82−1.18Below flood stage—
31May 28, 199614.81−1.19Below flood stage—
32Jun 11, 199914.79−1.21Below flood stage—
33May 26, 194814.78−1.22Below flood stage—
34Aug 21, 202514.74−1.26Below flood stage—
35May 15, 197014.70−1.30Below flood stage—
36May 14, 202314.70−1.30Below flood stage—
37Jun 24, 197514.69−1.31Below flood stage—
38Mar 26, 197314.68−1.32Below flood stage—
39Aug 30, 194314.67−1.33Below flood stage—
40Jun 25, 201314.67−1.33Below flood stage—
41May 8, 200914.66−1.34Below flood stage—
42Apr 14, 194914.65−1.35Below flood stage—
43Jun 10, 201214.62−1.38Below flood stage—
44Jun 11, 197414.61−1.39Below flood stage—
45Apr 25, 195514.58−1.42Below flood stage—
46Apr 29, 196614.55−1.45Below flood stage—
47Jun 28, 199114.55−1.45Below flood stage—
48Jun 9, 197214.47−1.53Below flood stage—
49Jun 18, 199814.24−1.76Below flood stage—
50Jun 22, 201514.14−1.86Below flood stage—

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
Milford13.020.40 ft, Jun 22, 20242
Montgomery1,391.01,395.88 ft, Jun 23, 20242
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 SLKI4, 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.