TornadoLiveMap

Des Moines River at Saylorville Reservoir — water level right now

Polk County, Iowa · NWS gauge SAYI4
Loading the latest reading…
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current stage (ft)
 
884
minor flood stage
 
892.03
record crest
set 1993-07-11
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flood status
official NWS category
Official NOAA forecast → Full US flood map →

Flood stages at this gauge

Where the water stands right now against the four official thresholds:

minor · 884
Flood stageLevel (ft)What it means
Minor flood stage884low-lying roads and fields near the river start to flood

Highest floods on record here

#Crest (ft)Datevs. minor flood stage
1892.031993-07-11+8.03 above
2891.032008-06-12+7.03 above
3889.251984-06-22+5.25 above
4889.152010-07-01+5.15 above
5888.991991-06-11+4.99 above
6886.192018-07-09+2.19 above
7883.591979-04-060.41 below
8881.21983-04-222.8 below
9880.522019-03-303.48 below
10878.912001-05-145.09 below
11877.572014-07-066.43 below
12871.292011-07-0312.71 below

Historic crests recorded at this gauge by the National Weather Service — the 12 highest on file.

Where this gauge is

The marker is this gauge; nearby gauges load live and are clickable.

Nearby river gauges

Beaver Creek near Grimes 3 mi away · loading… Fourmile Creek near Ankeny NE 86th Ave 6 mi away · loading… Des Moines River at Des Moines 2nd Ave 7 mi away · loading… Fourmile Creek at Ankeny NE 47th St--IFC 7 mi away · loading… Walnut Creek at Clive I-80/35 8 mi away · loading… Walnut Creek at Des Moines 63rd St 8 mi away · loading…

Gauge details

NWS gauge IDSAYI4
CountyPolk
StateIowa
NWS forecast officeDes Moines
River forecast centerNorth Central River Forecast Center
Coordinates41.704, -93.689
Time zoneCST6CDT
Turn Around, Don't Drown. Six inches of moving water can knock you off your feet and twelve inches can float a car. Never drive around barricades or into water of unknown depth — most flood deaths happen in vehicles.

Questions about Des Moines River at Saylorville Reservoir

Is Des Moines River at Saylorville Reservoir flooding right now?

The live reading at the top of this page answers that: the gauge is compared against its official NWS flood stages every 15 minutes. Minor flooding at this gauge begins at 884 ft. Blue means normal, yellow is action stage, orange minor, red moderate and dark red major flooding.

What is flood stage for Des Moines River at Saylorville Reservoir?

minor flood stage 884 ft. These are official National Weather Service thresholds set specifically for this gauge, not generic values.

What is the record flood at Des Moines River at Saylorville Reservoir?

The highest crest on file at this gauge is 892.03 ft, reached on 1993-07-11 — that is 8.03 ft above minor flood stage. The full list of the highest crests is in the table on this page.

Where does this data come from?

From the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, the official U.S. river gauge network — a U.S. government work in the public domain. Live stage is refreshed every 15 minutes; flood thresholds and historic crests are refreshed monthly. For life-safety decisions follow NWS Des Moines and local emergency management.