How high is the Upper Iowa River at Bluffton, IA right now?

The Upper Iowa River at Bluffton, IA is currently flowing at 280 cubic feet per second with a gage height of 3.59 feet, based on the most recent USGS instantaneous reading.

Is the flow on the Upper Iowa River at Bluffton, IA normal for this time of year?

Current flow is classified as normal for October 28. Today's discharge is at the 66th percentile compared to the long-term historical record at this gauge.

Is the Upper Iowa River at Bluffton, IA at flood stage?

No — the gage height is 8.41 feet below the NWS flood-stage threshold of 12.0 feet.

What is the historical median flow for the Upper Iowa River at Bluffton, IA on October 28?

The long-term median discharge for this date is 151 cfs based on USGS daily statistics. The 10th–95th percentile range historically is 77 to 1,980 cfs.

Where is the Upper Iowa River at Bluffton, IA stream gauge located?

The Upper Iowa River at Bluffton, IA stream gauge is operated by the USGS in Winneshiek County, IA on the Upper Iowa River. USGS site number 05387440 (coordinates 43.4069, -91.8990).

Upper Iowa River at Bluffton, IA

USGS Site No: 05387440 • Upper Iowa River • Winneshiek County, IA

Upper Iowa River at Bluffton, IA on the Upper Iowa River is currently at 280 cfs (Normal — 66th percentile for this date) . Gage height: 3.59 ft.

Reading from 4 months ago

Downstream on Upper Iowa River ↓

Upper Iowa River at Decorah, IA

280

CFS Discharge

3.59

Gage Height (ft)

Normal

Flow Condition

Normal

Flood Status

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	77
25th	Low threshold	96
50th (Median)	Normal (median)	151
75th	High threshold	354	Today: 280 cfs
95th	Very High threshold	1,980

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.

10th–95th historical Day-of-year median Recent discharge

30-Day Flow History

Date	Discharge (CFS)	Gage Ht (ft)
May 28, 2026	261	—
May 27, 2026	277	—
May 26, 2026	283	—
May 25, 2026	297	—
May 24, 2026	314	—
May 23, 2026	328	—
May 22, 2026	329	—
May 21, 2026	343	—
May 20, 2026	348	—
May 19, 2026	293	—
May 18, 2026	276	—
May 17, 2026	256	—
May 16, 2026	260	—
May 15, 2026	251	—
Apr 20, 2026	715	—
Apr 19, 2026	803	—
Apr 18, 2026	871	—
Apr 17, 2026	963	—
Apr 16, 2026	1,060	—
Apr 15, 2026	937	—
Apr 14, 2026	696	—
Apr 13, 2026	672	—
Apr 12, 2026	697	—
Apr 11, 2026	739	—
Apr 10, 2026	842	—
Apr 9, 2026	972	—
Apr 8, 2026	1,130	—
Apr 7, 2026	1,360	—
Apr 6, 2026	1,790	—
Apr 5, 2026	2,120	—

Station Information

USGS Site No: 05387440
State: IA
County: Winneshiek County
Coordinates: 43.4069, -91.8990
Drainage Area: 367 mi²
Datum (ft): 944.7
HUC Code: 07060002

View on USGS NWIS →

Flood Stage Thresholds

Action Stage: 10.0 ft
Flood Stage: 12.0 ft
Moderate Flood: 13.0 ft
Major Flood: 15.0 ft

Currently 8.41 ft below flood stage.

Recent Extremes

Max discharge: 6,170 cfs

Aug 19, 2025
Min discharge: 79 cfs

Dec 5, 2025
Days at flood stage: 0

Computed from the local daily-values archive.

Nearby Gauges

Upper Iowa River at Decorah, IA
8.8 mi · 363 cfs

High
Turkey River at Spillville, IA
14.0 mi · 107 cfs

High
Upper Iowa River Near Dorchester, IA
19.6 mi · 613 cfs

High
Turkey River Near Eldorado, IA
24.8 mi · 383 cfs

Normal
Root River Near Pilot Mound, MN
26.8 mi · 427 cfs

Normal