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Upper Iowa River at Dorchester

Highest listed crest 24.30 ftFlood stage 14.0 ft74 crests since 1937

The Upper Iowa River at Dorchester crested at major flood stage 9 times among the 74 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1937 to 2026. The highest, 24.30 ft on August 25, 2016, was major flooding, 10.30 feet above flood stage. 2 other gauges on the Upper Iowa River crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
24.30 ft
August 25, 2016; 38,000 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
14.0 ft
Major flooding from 19.0 ft
Crests at major
9
29th of 203 gauges in Iowa
Most recent flood crest
July 11, 2026
14.05 ft, minor flooding
Location
Allamakee County
Iowa

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Upper Iowa River at Dorchester
Action stage11.018Feb 27, 2023The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)14.033Jul 11, 2026Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage17.010Mar 14, 2019Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage19.09Aug 25, 2016Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

74 crests from 1937 to 2026. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Upper Iowa River at Dorchester, 1937 to 2026 510152025ft Flood stage 14.0 ftMajor 19.0 ft Mar 5, 1937: 20.89 ft, major floodingFeb 6, 1938: 15.80 ft, minor floodingMar 12, 1939: 16.80 ft, minor floodingMar 30, 1940: 15.30 ft, minor floodingMay 30, 1941: 21.80 ft, major flooding; 30,400 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 1942: 17.20 ft, moderate floodingMar 16, 1943: 16.45 ft, minor floodingMar 17, 1945: 17.98 ft, moderate floodingSep 6, 1946: 18.95 ft, moderate floodingJun 13, 1947: 17.50 ft, moderate floodingFeb 28, 1948: 22.20 ft, major floodingMar 4, 1949: 15.30 ft, minor floodingMar 7, 1950: 19.34 ft, major floodingAug 6, 1951: 17.32 ft, moderate floodingApr 1, 1952: 16.27 ft, minor floodingJul 26, 1953: 19.20 ft, major floodingJun 22, 1954: 16.76 ft, minor floodingMar 12, 1976: 17.67 ft, moderate flooding; 14,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 24, 1977: 12.35 ft, action stage; 4,110 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1978: 15.54 ft, minor flooding; 8,680 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1979: 15.27 ft, minor flooding; 9,140 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 1980: 13.70 ft, action stage; 6,610 cubic feet per secondAug 31, 1981: 11.91 ft, action stage; 4,120 cubic feet per secondMar 17, 1982: 12.15 ft, action stage; 4,350 cubic feet per secondNov 12, 1983: 13.64 ft, action stage; 6,720 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1984: 14.00 ft, minor floodingJun 18, 1984: 13.09 ft, action stage; 5,520 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1985: 16.03 ft, minor flooding; 6,630 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1986: 14.85 ft, minor flooding; 8,620 cubic feet per secondOct 14, 1986: 14.10 ft, minor flooding; 7,020 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 1988: 10.50 ft, below flood stage; 3,000 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1989: 14.50 ft, minor flooding; 4,900 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 1990: 14.60 ft, minor flooding; 7,990 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1991: 12.23 ft, action stage; 4,540 cubic feet per secondDec 7, 1991: 13.36 ft, action stage; 5,530 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1993: 17.16 ft, moderate floodingJul 20, 1993: 15.32 ft, minor floodingAug 17, 1993: 20.00 ft, major flooding; 22,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1994: 14.90 ft, minor flooding; 4,200 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1995: 11.46 ft, action stage; 3,460 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1997: 12.44 ft, action stage; 4,580 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 1998: 16.65 ft, minor flooding; 12,600 cubic feet per secondJul 23, 1999: 13.25 ft, action stage; 6,050 cubic feet per secondJun 2, 2000: 17.53 ft, moderate flooding; 13,300 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 2000: 15.29 ft, minor floodingApr 9, 2001: 15.99 ft, minor flooding; 11,100 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2002: 10.29 ft, below flood stage; 2,260 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2003: 9.67 ft, below flood stage; 1,780 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2004: 15.37 ft, minor flooding; 9,904 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 2005: 14.48 ft, minor flooding; 8,340 cubic feet per secondApr 9, 2006: 11.22 ft, action stage; 3,180 cubic feet per secondAug 22, 2007: 15.20 ft, minor flooding; 8,980 cubic feet per secondJun 9, 2008: 22.46 ft, major flooding; 31,200 cubic feet per secondFeb 11, 2009: 12.48 ft, action stage; 4,740 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2010: 13.82 ft, action stage; 6,640 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 2011: 14.16 ft, minor flooding; 7,180 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 2012: 9.90 ft, below flood stage; 1,940 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2013: 14.21 ft, minor flooding; 7,259 cubic feet per secondMay 30, 2013: 14.99 ft, minor flooding; 8,602 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 2013: 20.02 ft, major flooding; 25,500 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2014: 13.94 ft, action stage; 7,630 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2015: 16.59 ft, minor flooding; 14,000 cubic feet per secondAug 25, 2016: 24.30 ft, major flooding; 38,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 22, 2017: 13.77 ft, action stage; 7,880 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 2018: 17.46 ft, moderate flooding; 15,600 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2019: 18.40 ft, moderate flooding; 18,100 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2019: 14.60 ft, minor flooding; 9,550 cubic feet per secondJun 10, 2020: 13.93 ft, action stageAug 30, 2021: 14.07 ft, minor flooding; 8,420 cubic feet per secondJul 24, 2022: 14.67 ft, minor flooding; 9,660 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 2023: 12.03 ft, action stage; 5,430 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 2024: 14.97 ft, minor floodingAug 19, 2025: 16.89 ft, minor flooding; 15,913 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 2026: 14.05 ft, minor flooding; 9,282 cubic feet per second Highest, 24.30 ft, Aug 25, 2016 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Upper Iowa River at Dorchester 1930s: 3 1940s: 9 9 1950s: 5 1960s: 0 1970s: 3 1980s: 5 1990s: 6 2000s: 7 2010s: 9 2020s: 5 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, Upper Iowa River at Dorchester
1Aug 25, 201624.30+10.30Major38,000
2Jun 9, 200822.46+8.46Major31,200
3Feb 28, 194822.20+8.20Major—
4May 30, 194121.80+7.80Major30,400
5Mar 5, 193720.89+6.89Major—
6Jun 23, 201320.02+6.02Major25,500
7Aug 17, 199320.00+6.00Major22,000
8Mar 7, 195019.34+5.34Major—
9Jul 26, 195319.20+5.20Major—
10Sep 6, 194618.95+4.95Moderate—
11Mar 14, 201918.40+4.40Moderate18,100
12Mar 17, 194517.98+3.98Moderate—
13Mar 12, 197617.67+3.67Moderate14,000
14Jun 2, 200017.53+3.53Moderate13,300
15Jun 13, 194717.50+3.50Moderate—
16Jun 11, 201817.46+3.46Moderate15,600
17Aug 6, 195117.32+3.32Moderate—
18Jun 30, 194217.20+3.20Moderate—
19Mar 31, 199317.16+3.16Moderate—
20Aug 19, 202516.89+2.89Minor15,913
21Mar 12, 193916.80+2.80Minor—
22Jun 22, 195416.76+2.76Minor—
23Jun 29, 199816.65+2.65Minor12,600
24Jun 22, 201516.59+2.59Minor14,000
25Mar 16, 194316.45+2.45Minor—
26Apr 1, 195216.27+2.27Minor—
27Feb 21, 198516.03+2.03Minor6,630
28Apr 9, 200115.99+1.99Minor11,100
29Feb 6, 193815.80+1.80Minor—
30Jun 17, 197815.54+1.54Minor8,680
31May 22, 200415.37+1.37Minor9,904
32Jul 20, 199315.32+1.32Minor—
33Mar 30, 194015.30+1.30Minor—
34Mar 4, 194915.30+1.30Minor—
35Jul 12, 200015.29+1.29Minor—
36Mar 19, 197915.27+1.27Minor9,140
37Aug 22, 200715.20+1.20Minor8,980
38May 30, 201314.99+0.99Minor8,602
39Jun 25, 202414.97+0.97Minor—
40Feb 19, 199414.90+0.90Minor4,200
41Mar 19, 198614.85+0.85Minor8,620
42Jul 24, 202214.67+0.67Minor9,660
43Aug 26, 199014.60+0.60Minor7,990
44Jun 28, 201914.60+0.60Minor9,550
45Mar 12, 198914.50+0.50Minor4,900
46Jul 26, 200514.48+0.48Minor8,340
47Mar 11, 201314.21+0.21Minor7,259
48Mar 24, 201114.16+0.16Minor7,180
49Oct 14, 198614.10+0.10Minor7,020
50Aug 30, 202114.07+0.07Minor8,420

The worst floods along the Upper Iowa River

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

August 25, 2016: 24.30 ft here, major flooding

  • BlufftonIA · Aug 24, 2016 · 14.41 ft · Moderate
  • DecorahIA · Aug 24, 2016 · 13.68 ft · Moderate

June 9, 2008: 22.46 ft here, major flooding

  • DecorahIA · Jun 9, 2008 · 17.90 ft · Major · its highest
  • BlufftonIA · Jun 9, 2008 · 15.49 ft · Major · its highest

Gauges on the Upper Iowa River

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

Flood gauges on the Upper Iowa River
BlufftonIA12.015.49 ft, Jun 9, 20081
DecorahIA12.017.90 ft, Jun 9, 20082
Dorchester this gaugeIA14.024.30 ft, Aug 25, 20169

Other gauges in Allamakee County

Flood gauges in Allamakee County
Lansing - Pool 917.022.50 ft, Apr 24, 19651
Dorchester10.015.05 ft, Jul 2, 20267
Ion13.017.11 ft, Feb 10, 20091

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge DCHI4, 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.