This data set contains infrared images and velocity measurements collected at two sites on the Sacramento River, and one of its tributaries, near Sacramento, California, USA, in November 2017. Details on the data collection and analysis are available in Schweitzer & Cowen, 2021, WRR. Included are infrared images of the flowing water surface, the instantaneous velocity field as calcalated from these images using Infrared Quantitative Image Velocimetry (IR-QIV), a near-field remote sensing method of surface velocimetry similar to LSPIV that is capable of measuring the instantaneous two-dimensional velocity field and extract metrics of turbulence. Also included are concurrent measurements of water velocity using traditional acoustic instruments (ADV and ADCP), and meteorological measurements made on site.