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West Fork Des Moines River at Humboldt

Highest listed crest 16.82 ftFlood stage 10.0 ft84 crests since 1940

The West Fork Des Moines River at Humboldt crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 84 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1940 to 2025. The highest, 16.82 ft on June 27, 2024, was major flooding, 6.82 feet above flood stage. 5 other gauges on the West Fork Des Moines River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 4 at their own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
16.82 ft
June 27, 2024; 19,700 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
10.0 ft
Major flooding from 14.0 ft
Crests at major
4
52nd of 203 gauges in Iowa
Most recent flood crest
June 27, 2024
16.82 ft, major flooding
Location
Humboldt County
Near Fort Dodge (14.8 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, West Fork Des Moines River at Humboldt
Action stage7.038Aug 1, 2025The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)10.015Jun 28, 2011Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage13.03Jul 6, 2018Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage14.04Jun 27, 2024Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

84 crests from 1940 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the West Fork Des Moines River at Humboldt, 1940 to 2025 05101520ft Flood stage 10.0 ftMajor 14.0 ft Apr 1, 1940: 4.40 ft, below flood stage; 815 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1941: 6.73 ft, below flood stage; 2,730 cubic feet per secondJun 4, 1942: 7.32 ft, action stage; 3,550 cubic feet per secondJun 30, 1943: 7.95 ft, action stage; 4,520 cubic feet per secondMay 20, 1944: 10.33 ft, minor flooding; 7,300 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1945: 8.35 ft, action stage; 4,670 cubic feet per secondMay 25, 1946: 7.70 ft, action stage; 3,890 cubic feet per secondJun 23, 1947: 12.20 ft, minor flooding; 11,000 cubic feet per secondFeb 29, 1948: 9.59 ft, action stage; 5,540 cubic feet per secondApr 3, 1949: 7.72 ft, action stage; 3,890 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 1950: 6.88 ft, below flood stage; 2,990 cubic feet per secondApr 5, 1951: 11.30 ft, minor flooding; 8,980 cubic feet per secondApr 11, 1952: 9.28 ft, action stage; 5,870 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 1953: 9.64 ft, action stage; 6,280 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1954: 11.33 ft, minor flooding; 9,490 cubic feet per secondApr 26, 1955: 6.40 ft, below flood stage; 2,450 cubic feet per secondMay 17, 1956: 3.91 ft, below flood stage; 505 cubic feet per secondMay 31, 1957: 4.62 ft, below flood stage; 945 cubic feet per secondJul 15, 1958: 4.36 ft, below flood stage; 770 cubic feet per secondMay 23, 1959: 6.67 ft, below flood stage; 2,770 cubic feet per secondMar 31, 1960: 9.52 ft, action stage; 6,400 cubic feet per secondMar 29, 1961: 11.56 ft, minor flooding; 9,280 cubic feet per secondApr 1, 1962: 11.12 ft, minor flooding; 8,500 cubic feet per secondJul 23, 1963: 6.18 ft, below flood stage; 2,320 cubic feet per secondJul 31, 1964: 9.42 ft, action stage; 6,110 cubic feet per secondApr 8, 1965: 13.90 ft, moderate flooding; 14,400 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 1966: 6.47 ft, below flood stage; 2,590 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1967: 7.44 ft, action stage; 3,790 cubic feet per secondSep 25, 1968: 4.33 ft, below flood stage; 800 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1969: 15.40 ft, major flooding; 18,000 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 1970: 8.22 ft, action stage; 4,850 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 1971: 8.75 ft, action stage; 5,520 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 1972: 6.67 ft, below flood stage; 2,840 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1973: 8.26 ft, action stage; 4,740 cubic feet per secondNov 23, 1973: 7.22 ft, action stage; 3,340 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1975: 9.10 ft, action stage; 6,020 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1976: 5.92 ft, below flood stage; 2,070 cubic feet per secondMar 12, 1977: 4.17 ft, below flood stage; 636 cubic feet per secondJul 8, 1978: 7.53 ft, action stage; 3,590 cubic feet per secondAug 26, 1979: 10.26 ft, minor flooding; 7,640 cubic feet per secondJun 15, 1980: 8.16 ft, action stage; 4,550 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1981: 6.45 ft, below flood stage; 2,590 cubic feet per secondJul 11, 1982: 7.53 ft, action stage; 3,770 cubic feet per secondJun 18, 1984: 12.50 ft, minor flooding; 11,400 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1985: 7.84 ft, action stage; 4,280 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1986: 9.65 ft, action stage; 6,820 cubic feet per secondApr 30, 1988: 5.97 ft, below flood stage; 2,110 cubic feet per secondMar 30, 1989: 4.57 ft, below flood stage; 994 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 1990: 6.81 ft, below flood stage; 3,030 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1991: 10.32 ft, minor flooding; 7,180 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 1992: 8.95 ft, action stage; 5,760 cubic feet per secondJul 13, 1993: 15.22 ft, major flooding; 19,000 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1994: 11.72 ft, minor flooding; 9,570 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1995: 8.53 ft, action stage; 5,450 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 1997: 9.76 ft, action stage; 7,430 cubic feet per secondApr 17, 1998: 7.51 ft, action stage; 3,960 cubic feet per secondApr 24, 1999: 8.69 ft, action stage; 5,390 cubic feet per secondJul 12, 2000: 6.38 ft, below flood stage; 2,500 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2001: 12.10 ft, minor flooding; 11,400 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2002: 6.00 ft, below flood stage; 2,220 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2003: 8.01 ft, action stage; 4,610 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2004: 8.36 ft, action stage; 5,310 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2005: 8.92 ft, action stage; 6,270 cubic feet per secondApr 13, 2006: 9.82 ft, action stage; 7,710 cubic feet per secondMar 16, 2007: 10.39 ft, minor flooding; 8,850 cubic feet per secondJun 14, 2008: 10.87 ft, minor flooding; 9,550 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 2009: 6.17 ft, below flood stage; 2,650 cubic feet per secondJun 29, 2010: 12.31 ft, minor flooding; 12,900 cubic feet per secondApr 2, 2011: 9.96 ft, action stage; 8,730 cubic feet per secondJun 28, 2011: 10.23 ft, minor floodingJun 3, 2012: 6.90 ft, below flood stage; 3,520 cubic feet per secondMay 29, 2013: 9.16 ft, action stage; 7,100 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 2014: 13.46 ft, moderate flooding; 15,000 cubic feet per secondAug 21, 2015: 7.12 ft, action stage; 4,200 cubic feet per secondMay 3, 2016: 9.62 ft, action stage; 7,880 cubic feet per secondMay 24, 2017: 9.58 ft, action stage; 6,450 cubic feet per secondJul 6, 2018: 13.50 ft, moderate flooding; 13,800 cubic feet per secondMar 20, 2019: 14.95 ft, major flooding; 17,900 cubic feet per secondMay 28, 2020: 9.22 ft, action stage; 6,440 cubic feet per secondApr 15, 2021: 4.80 ft, below flood stage; 979 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 2022: 6.99 ft, below flood stage; 3,060 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 2023: 9.71 ft, action stage; 7,180 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2024: 16.82 ft, major flooding; 19,700 cubic feet per secondAug 1, 2025: 9.06 ft, action stage; 5,630 cubic feet per second Highest, 16.82 ft, Jun 27, 2024 19401960198020002020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, West Fork Des Moines River at Humboldt 1940s: 2 1950s: 2 1960s: 4 1970s: 1 1980s: 1 1990s: 3 2000s: 3 2010s: 5 5 2020s: 1 1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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 84 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, West Fork Des Moines River at Humboldt
1Jun 27, 202416.82+6.82Major19,700
2Apr 14, 196915.40+5.40Major18,000
3Jul 13, 199315.22+5.22Major19,000
4Mar 20, 201914.95+4.95Major17,900
5Apr 8, 196513.90+3.90Moderate14,400
6Jul 6, 201813.50+3.50Moderate13,800
7Jun 20, 201413.46+3.46Moderate15,000
8Jun 18, 198412.50+2.50Minor11,400
9Jun 29, 201012.31+2.31Minor12,900
10Jun 23, 194712.20+2.20Minor11,000
11May 3, 200112.10+2.10Minor11,400
12Jun 25, 199411.72+1.72Minor9,570
13Mar 29, 196111.56+1.56Minor9,280
14Jun 22, 195411.33+1.33Minor9,490
15Apr 5, 195111.30+1.30Minor8,980
16Apr 1, 196211.12+1.12Minor8,500
17Jun 14, 200810.87+0.87Minor9,550
18Mar 16, 200710.39+0.39Minor8,850
19May 20, 194410.33+0.33Minor7,300
20Jun 6, 199110.32+0.32Minor7,180
21Aug 26, 197910.26+0.26Minor7,640
22Jun 28, 201110.23+0.23Minor—
23Apr 2, 20119.96−0.04Action8,730
24Apr 13, 20069.82−0.18Action7,710
25Apr 7, 19979.76−0.24Action7,430
26May 15, 20239.71−0.29Action7,180
27Apr 7, 19869.65−0.35Action6,820
28Jun 13, 19539.64−0.36Action6,280
29May 3, 20169.62−0.38Action7,880
30Feb 29, 19489.59−0.41Action5,540
31May 24, 20179.58−0.42Action6,450
32Mar 31, 19609.52−0.48Action6,400
33Jul 31, 19649.42−0.58Action6,110
34Apr 11, 19529.28−0.72Action5,870
35May 28, 20209.22−0.78Action6,440
36May 29, 20139.16−0.84Action7,100
37Apr 30, 19759.10−0.90Action6,020
38Aug 1, 20259.06−0.94Action5,630
39Mar 11, 19928.95−1.05Action5,760
40May 15, 20058.92−1.08Action6,270
41Mar 21, 19718.75−1.25Action5,520
42Apr 24, 19998.69−1.31Action5,390
43Apr 23, 19958.53−1.47Action5,450
44May 24, 20048.36−1.64Action5,310
45Jun 15, 19458.35−1.65Action4,670
46Apr 18, 19738.26−1.74Action4,740
47May 13, 19708.22−1.78Action4,850
48Jun 15, 19808.16−1.84Action4,550
49Jun 27, 20038.01−1.99Action4,610
50Jun 30, 19437.95−2.05Action4,520

The worst floods along the West Fork Des Moines River

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

June 27, 2024: 16.82 ft here, major flooding

  • AvocaMN · Jun 24, 2024 · 1,429.64 ft · Major
  • WindomMN · Jun 25, 2024 · 25.01 ft · Major · its highest
  • EsthervilleIA · Jun 24, 2024 · 17.94 ft · Major · its highest
  • JacksonMN · Jun 26, 2024 · 16.04 ft · Major · its highest
  • EmmetsburgIA · Jun 24, 2024 · 15.47 ft · Major · its highest

April 14, 1969: 15.40 ft here, major flooding

  • EsthervilleIA · Apr 12, 1969 · 17.68 ft · Major
  • WindomMN · Apr 11, 1969 · 24.70 ft · Moderate
  • EmmetsburgIA · Apr 12, 1969 · 14.75 ft · Moderate

July 13, 1993: 15.22 ft here, major flooding

  • WindomMN · Jul 7, 1993 · 21.10 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the West Fork Des Moines River

Flood gauges sharing the river's name, linked within 80 miles of one another.

Flood gauges on the West Fork Des Moines River
WindomMN19.025.01 ft, Jun 25, 20241
EmmetsburgIA11.015.47 ft, Jun 24, 20241
EsthervilleIA10.017.94 ft, Jun 24, 20247
Humboldt this gaugeIA10.016.82 ft, Jun 27, 20244
JacksonMN12.016.04 ft, Jun 26, 20242
AvocaMN1,425.01,430.20 ft, Jul 5, 20183

Other gauges in Humboldt County

Flood gauges in Humboldt County
Dakota City20.023.35 ft, Apr 1, 19930

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge HBTI4, 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.