How high is the Winnebago River at Mason City, IA right now?

The Winnebago River at Mason City, IA is currently flowing at 494 cubic feet per second with a gage height of 5.97 feet, based on the most recent USGS instantaneous reading.

Is the flow on the Winnebago River at Mason City, IA normal for this time of year?

Current flow is classified as high for October 28. Today's discharge is at the 83th percentile compared to the long-term historical record at this gauge.

Is the Winnebago River at Mason City, IA at flood stage?

No — the gage height is 4.03 feet below the NWS flood-stage threshold of 10.0 feet.

What is the historical median flow for the Winnebago River at Mason City, IA on October 28?

The long-term median discharge for this date is 86 cfs based on USGS daily statistics. The 10th–95th percentile range historically is 23 to 865 cfs.

Where is the Winnebago River at Mason City, IA stream gauge located?

The Winnebago River at Mason City, IA stream gauge is operated by the USGS in Cerro Gordo County, IA on the Winnebago River. USGS site number 05459500 (coordinates 43.1650, -93.1925).

Winnebago River at Mason City, IA

USGS Site No: 05459500 • Winnebago River • Cerro Gordo County, IA

Winnebago River at Mason City, IA on the Winnebago River is currently at 494 cfs (High — 83th percentile for this date) . Gage height: 5.97 ft.

Reading from 4 months ago

494

CFS Discharge

5.97

Gage Height (ft)

High

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	23
25th	Low threshold	43
50th (Median)	Normal (median)	86
75th	High threshold	252
95th	Very High threshold	865	Today: 494 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.

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

30-Day Flow History

Date	Discharge (CFS)	Gage Ht (ft)
May 28, 2026	517	—
May 27, 2026	527	—
May 26, 2026	408	—
May 25, 2026	424	—
May 24, 2026	439	—
May 23, 2026	459	—
May 22, 2026	464	—
May 21, 2026	476	—
May 20, 2026	509	—
May 19, 2026	527	—
May 18, 2026	480	—
May 17, 2026	449	—
May 16, 2026	387	—
May 15, 2026	325	—
Apr 20, 2026	700	—
Apr 19, 2026	800	—
Apr 18, 2026	890	—
Apr 17, 2026	950	—
Apr 16, 2026	973	—
Apr 15, 2026	998	—
Apr 14, 2026	869	—
Apr 13, 2026	636	—
Apr 12, 2026	640	—
Apr 11, 2026	643	—
Apr 10, 2026	702	—
Apr 9, 2026	793	—
Apr 8, 2026	917	—
Apr 7, 2026	1,040	—
Apr 6, 2026	1,200	—
Apr 5, 2026	1,400	—

Station Information

USGS Site No: 05459500
State: IA
County: Cerro Gordo County
Coordinates: 43.1650, -93.1925
Drainage Area: 526 mi²
Datum (ft): 1,069.5
HUC Code: 07080203

View on USGS NWIS →

Flood Stage Thresholds

Action Stage: 8.0 ft
Flood Stage: 10.0 ft
Moderate Flood: 14.5 ft
Major Flood: 15.5 ft

Currently 4.03 ft below flood stage.

Recent Extremes

Max discharge: 4,270 cfs

Aug 19, 2025
Min discharge: 103 cfs

Feb 5, 2026
Days at flood stage: 0

Computed from the local daily-values archive.

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