Tarkio River near Elliot

Highest listed crest 14.68 ftFlood stage 11.0 ft10 crests since 1976

The Tarkio River near Elliot crested above flood stage 6 times among the 10 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1976 to 2024. The highest, 14.68 ft on June 14, 1998, was moderate flooding, 3.68 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Tarkio River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest: 14.68 ft; June 14, 1998; 5,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage: 11.0 ft; Major flooding from 17.5 ft
Crests at major: 0; 6 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest: May 24, 2019; 11.83 ft, minor flooding
Location: Montgomery County; Iowa
Identifiers: NWS TRKI4; USGS 06811760

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Tarkio River near Elliot

Action stage	10.5	0	—	The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)	11.0	4	May 24, 2019	Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage	13.5	2	Jun 14, 1998	Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage	17.5	0	—	Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

10 crests from 1976 to 2024. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

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.
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, Tarkio River near Elliot

1	Jun 14, 1998	14.68	+3.68	Moderate	5,000
2	Jun 15, 1982	13.57	+2.57	Moderate	2,500
3	Jun 14, 1976	13.28	+2.28	Minor	2,300
4	Jun 5, 2008	13.20	+2.20	Minor	3,010
5	Aug 29, 1993	12.98	+1.98	Minor	2,780
6	May 24, 2019	11.83	+0.83	Minor	—
7	Jul 2, 2024	7.21	−3.79	Below flood stage	—
8	Sep 5, 2018	6.71	−4.29	Below flood stage	548
9	Feb 27, 2023	5.73	−5.27	Below flood stage	417
10	Sep 21, 2020	5.70	−5.30	Below flood stage	—

The worst floods along the Tarkio River

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

June 14, 1998: 14.68 ft here, moderate flooding

FairfaxMO · Jun 15, 1998 · 25.00 ft · Major

June 14, 1976: 13.28 ft here, minor flooding

FairfaxMO · Jun 14, 1976 · 18.12 ft · Moderate

June 5, 2008: 13.20 ft here, minor flooding

FairfaxMO · Jun 6, 2008 · 26.35 ft · Major

Gauges on the Tarkio River

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

Flood gauges on the Tarkio River

Elliot this gauge	IA	11.0	14.68 ft, Jun 14, 1998	0
Fairfax	MO	17.0	28.90 ft, May 7, 2007	8

Other gauges in Montgomery County

Flood gauges in Montgomery County

Red Oak	18.0	29.39 ft, Jun 15, 1998	2
Stanton	11.5	13.74 ft, Jun 9, 1967	0

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge TRKI4, 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.