About this river
South Skunk River is a 23.9 mile river near Seven Oaks Recreation in Iowa. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge South Skunk River near Ames, IA (site 05470000). The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 5. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.
Typical flow by month
1921 to 2026
South Skunk River typically runs highest in June, at a median 211 cfs, and lowest in September, at 18 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 12,400 cfs, in 2010.
| Month | Typical (cfs) | Usual range (cfs) | Relative level |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24 | 6.1 to 76 | |
| February | 35 | 11 to 101 | |
| March | 186 | 75 to 395 | |
| April | 183 | 82 to 366 | |
| May | 202 | 80 to 417 | |
| June | 211 | 68 to 447 | |
| July | 81 | 25 to 221 | |
| August | 25 | 7.2 to 79 | |
| September | 18 | 4.3 to 76 | |
| October | 31 | 5.1 to 136 | |
| November | 50 | 10 to 136 | |
| December | 36 | 7.3 to 95 |
Typical is the median of each month’s daily median values, and the usual range runs from the median 25th to the median 75th percentile, across about 99 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for South Skunk River near Ames, IA (site 05470000). Conditions on any given day can fall well outside the usual range. Check the current reading before you go.
Boat access nearby
One mapped launch sits in the mapped area of South Skunk River. Ramp data comes from the USGS national boat-ramp inventory.
- North Peterson Park AccessSouth Skunk RiverPublic
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