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Willow Creek (North Central IA) near Cornell

Highest listed crest 94.30 ftFlood stage 90.0 ft44 crests since 1966

The Willow Creek (North Central IA) near Cornell crested above flood stage 14 times among the 44 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1966 to 2025. The highest, 94.30 ft on June 27, 2010, was moderate flooding, 4.30 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
94.30 ft
June 27, 2010; 3,280 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
90.0 ft
Major flooding from 96.0 ft
Crests at major
0
14 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
June 22, 2024
93.63 ft, minor flooding
Location
Clay County
Near Spencer (12.1 mi)

Flood stages

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

Flood categories, Willow Creek (North Central IA) near Cornell
Action stage88.016Feb 27, 2023The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)90.012Jun 22, 2024Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage94.02Sep 20, 2018Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage96.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

44 crests from 1966 to 2025. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Willow Creek (North Central IA) near Cornell, 1966 to 2025 84868890929496ft Flood stage 90.0 ftMajor 96.0 ft Jun 2, 1966: 88.86 ft, action stage; 1,150 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 1967: 88.98 ft, action stage; 1,200 cubic feet per secondSep 23, 1968: 86.99 ft, below flood stage; 540 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 1969: 91.35 ft, minor flooding; 3,700 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1971: 89.57 ft, action stage; 1,600 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 1972: 87.08 ft, below flood stage; 740 cubic feet per secondAug 23, 1973: 88.54 ft, action stage; 1,130 cubic feet per secondMay 15, 1974: 87.48 ft, below flood stage; 800 cubic feet per secondApr 28, 1975: 89.45 ft, action stage; 1,650 cubic feet per secondSep 12, 1978: 88.23 ft, action stage; 1,080 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 1979: 91.49 ft, minor flooding; 4,200 cubic feet per secondJun 5, 1980: 89.35 ft, action stage; 1,500 cubic feet per secondJul 9, 1982: 89.92 ft, action stage; 1,800 cubic feet per secondJun 20, 1983: 90.87 ft, minor flooding; 2,700 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1984: 90.37 ft, minor flooding; 2,100 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1985: 85.72 ft, below flood stage; 620 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1986: 88.23 ft, action stage; 1,100 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 1991: 85.44 ft, below flood stage; 457 cubic feet per secondJul 26, 1992: 91.00 ft, minor flooding; 2,960 cubic feet per secondMar 28, 1993: 90.61 ft, minor flooding; 2,370 cubic feet per secondMar 24, 1996: 85.18 ft, below flood stage; 417 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1997: 87.17 ft, below flood stage; 793 cubic feet per secondJun 6, 1999: 84.97 ft, below flood stage; 386 cubic feet per secondMay 7, 2001: 88.28 ft, action stage; 1,100 cubic feet per secondJun 25, 2003: 89.28 ft, action stage; 1,070 cubic feet per secondSep 16, 2004: 90.68 ft, minor flooding; 1,460 cubic feet per secondMay 13, 2005: 85.51 ft, below flood stage; 469 cubic feet per secondMay 9, 2006: 87.10 ft, below flood stage; 564 cubic feet per secondMay 6, 2007: 91.39 ft, minor flooding; 1,850 cubic feet per secondJun 13, 2008: 90.11 ft, minor flooding; 1,270 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 2009: 88.60 ft, action stage; 838 cubic feet per secondJun 27, 2010: 94.30 ft, moderate flooding; 3,280 cubic feet per secondJul 15, 2011: 89.47 ft, action stage; 1,060 cubic feet per secondMay 27, 2013: 91.15 ft, minor flooding; 1,750 cubic feet per secondJun 16, 2014: 88.98 ft, action stage; 916 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 2015: 85.29 ft, below flood stage; 302 cubic feet per secondDec 14, 2015: 88.04 ft, action stage; 1,040 cubic feet per secondOct 5, 2017: 87.31 ft, below flood stage; 599 cubic feet per secondSep 20, 2018: 94.09 ft, moderate flooding; 6,790 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 2019: 92.84 ft, minor flooding; 4,050 cubic feet per secondMar 10, 2020: 87.29 ft, below flood stage; 882 cubic feet per secondFeb 27, 2023: 88.36 ft, action stage; 1,100 cubic feet per secondJun 22, 2024: 93.63 ft, minor flooding; 5,650 cubic feet per secondJun 19, 2025: 85.27 ft, below flood stage; 513 cubic feet per second Highest, 94.30 ft, Jun 27, 2010 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Willow Creek (North Central IA) near Cornell 1960s: 1 1970s: 1 1980s: 2 1990s: 2 2000s: 3 2010s: 4 4 2020s: 1 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  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

Highest listed crests, Willow Creek (North Central IA) near Cornell
1Jun 27, 201094.30+4.30Moderate3,280
2Sep 20, 201894.09+4.09Moderate6,790
3Jun 22, 202493.63+3.63Minor5,650
4Mar 14, 201992.84+2.84Minor4,050
5Mar 22, 197991.49+1.49Minor4,200
6May 6, 200791.39+1.39Minor1,850
7Jun 25, 196991.35+1.35Minor3,700
8May 27, 201391.15+1.15Minor1,750
9Jul 26, 199291.00+1.00Minor2,960
10Jun 20, 198390.87+0.87Minor2,700
11Sep 16, 200490.68+0.68Minor1,460
12Mar 28, 199390.61+0.61Minor2,370
13Jun 17, 198490.37+0.37Minor2,100
14Jun 13, 200890.11+0.11Minor1,270
15Jul 9, 198289.92−0.08Action1,800
16Jun 6, 197189.57−0.43Action1,600
17Jul 15, 201189.47−0.53Action1,060
18Apr 28, 197589.45−0.55Action1,650
19Jun 5, 198089.35−0.65Action1,500
20Jun 25, 200389.28−0.72Action1,070
21Jun 16, 196788.98−1.02Action1,200
22Jun 16, 201488.98−1.02Action916
23Jun 2, 196688.86−1.14Action1,150
24Feb 10, 200988.60−1.40Action838
25Aug 23, 197388.54−1.46Action1,130
26Feb 27, 202388.36−1.64Action1,100
27May 7, 200188.28−1.72Action1,100
28Sep 12, 197888.23−1.77Action1,080
29Apr 29, 198688.23−1.77Action1,100
30Dec 14, 201588.04−1.96Action1,040
31May 15, 197487.48−2.52Below flood stage800
32Oct 5, 201787.31−2.69Below flood stage599
33Mar 10, 202087.29−2.71Below flood stage882
34Mar 19, 199787.17−2.83Below flood stage793
35May 9, 200687.10−2.90Below flood stage564
36Jun 27, 197287.08−2.92Below flood stage740
37Sep 23, 196886.99−3.01Below flood stage540
38Apr 22, 198585.72−4.28Below flood stage620
39May 13, 200585.51−4.49Below flood stage469
40Apr 14, 199185.44−4.56Below flood stage457
41Aug 19, 201585.29−4.71Below flood stage302
42Jun 19, 202585.27−4.73Below flood stage513
43Mar 24, 199685.18−4.82Below flood stage417
44Jun 6, 199984.97−5.03Below flood stage386

Other gauges in Clay County

Flood gauges in Clay County
Spencer10.014.45 ft, Jul 15, 20110
Spencer10.022.20 ft, Jun 22, 202412
Spencer / Highway 181,322.01,328.17 ft, Jun 22, 20241
Everly1,364.01,368.68 ft, Jun 22, 20240
Spencer8.017.20 ft, Jun 22, 202411

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

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge CWCI4, 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.