South Skunk River Near Ames, IA
USGS Site No: 05470000 • South Skunk River • Story County, IA
South Skunk River Near Ames, IA on the South Skunk River is currently at 265 cfs (High — 86th percentile for this date) . Gage height: 4.03 ft.
Reading from
Historical Percentile Comparison
Today's discharge compared to the long-term record for October 28 at this station. Percentile rank shows what fraction of historical years had lower flow on this date.
| Percentile | Label | CFS Threshold | Today's Flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | Very Low threshold | 2 | |
| 25th | Low threshold | 7 | |
| 50th (Median) | Normal (median) | 30 | |
| 75th | High threshold | 138 | |
| 95th | Very High threshold | 360 | Today: 265 cfs |
30-Day Hydrograph
Recent discharge plotted against the historical 10th–95th percentile envelope for the same calendar days. Source: USGS daily values + long-term statistics.
30-Day Flow History
| Date | Discharge (CFS) | Gage Ht (ft) |
|---|---|---|
| May 28, 2026 | 279 | — |
| May 27, 2026 | 297 | — |
| May 26, 2026 | 318 | — |
| May 25, 2026 | 340 | — |
| May 24, 2026 | 371 | — |
| May 23, 2026 | 421 | — |
| May 22, 2026 | 478 | — |
| May 21, 2026 | 572 | — |
| May 20, 2026 | 750 | — |
| May 19, 2026 | 827 | — |
| May 18, 2026 | 380 | — |
| May 17, 2026 | 270 | — |
| May 16, 2026 | 228 | — |
| May 15, 2026 | 225 | — |
| Apr 20, 2026 | 554 | — |
| Apr 19, 2026 | 644 | — |
| Apr 18, 2026 | 846 | — |
| Apr 17, 2026 | 1,250 | — |
| Apr 16, 2026 | 1,530 | — |
| Apr 15, 2026 | 600 | — |
| Apr 14, 2026 | 594 | — |
| Apr 13, 2026 | 670 | — |
| Apr 12, 2026 | 762 | — |
| Apr 11, 2026 | 871 | — |
| Apr 10, 2026 | 909 | — |
| Apr 9, 2026 | 905 | — |
| Apr 8, 2026 | 1,150 | — |
| Apr 7, 2026 | 1,510 | — |
| Apr 6, 2026 | 2,120 | — |
| Apr 5, 2026 | 3,510 | — |
Station Information
- USGS Site No
- 05470000
- State
- IA
- County
- Story County
- Coordinates
- 42.0666, -93.6203
- Drainage Area
- 315 mi²
- Datum (ft)
- 888.7
- HUC Code
- 07080105
Flood Stage Thresholds
- Action Stage
- 11.0 ft
- Flood Stage
- 12.5 ft
- Moderate Flood
- 16.0 ft
- Major Flood
- 16.5 ft
Currently 8.47 ft below flood stage.
Recent Extremes
- Max discharge
-
4,140 cfsApr 4, 2026
- Min discharge
-
41 cfsDec 5, 2025
- Days at flood stage
- 0
Computed from the local daily-values archive.
Nearby Gauges
-
Ioway Creek at Ames, IAHigh3.1 mi · 176 cfs
-
South Skunk River Below Ioway Creek Near Ames, IAHigh4.2 mi · 447 cfs
-
Des Moines River Near Stratford, IAHigh23.2 mi · 4,620 cfs
-
Indian Creek Near Mingo, IAHigh24.1 mi · 256 cfs
-
Fourmile Creek Near Ankeny, IA Ds1High24.3 mi · 50 cfs