Rivers in Iowa

Cedar River at Cedar Rapids

Linn County, IowaNWS CIDI4USGS 05464500Davenport office

Below flood stage
8.92ftStage

Observed Sun, Sep 20, 10:00 AM CDT

Flood stage
12.00 ft
Forecast crest
8.80 ftFri, Sep 25, 7:00 AM CDT
Record crest
31.12 ft2008

Open the live map with the river flood outlook

Flood stages and impacts

CategoryStage
Major flood16.00 ft
Moderate flood14.00 ft
Minor flood12.00 ft
Action10.00 ft
  1. 27.00 ftWater affects Mercy Hospital in Cedar Rapids.
  2. 24.20 ftWater reaches the bottom of the 1st Avenue bridge deck in downtown Cedar Rapids.
  3. 23.50 ftWater reaches the bottom of the County Road F28 bridge deck at Cedar Bluff.
  4. 22.50 ftWater reaches the top of a levee along 1st Street SW in Cedar Rapids.
  5. 22.20 ftWater reaches the bottom of the 2nd Avenue bridge deck in downtown Cedar Rapids.
  6. 20.20 ftWater reaches the bottom of the 3rd Avenue bridge deck and affects several homes along the river on 1st Street NW in Cedar Rapids.
  7. 19.50 ftWater reaches the bottom of the Blairs Ferry Road bridge deck.
  8. 19.00 ftWater reaches the bottom of a railroad bridge over the river near 1st Street NW and I Avenue NW in Cedar Rapids.
  9. 18.50 ftWater affects the lowest residences in Palo.
  10. 18.20 ftWater reaches the bottom of the railroad bridge along 8th Avenue in Cedar Rapids.
  11. 18.00 ftWater affects the lowest sections of Edgewood Road NW between Ellis Road NW and the Cedar River.
  12. 17.70 ftWater affects the lowest sections of the main road through Ellis Boat Harbor on Ellis Road NW. Water affects the lowest sections of Blairs Ferry Road near the Cedar River.
  13. 16.50 ftWater affects the lowest sections of Ellis Road NW near the Ellis Pool and affects the entrance road to Ellis Boat Harbor on Ellis Road NW in Cedar Rapids.
  14. 15.50 ftWater affects the lowest sections of Old River Road SW.
  15. 15.20 ftWater affects the parks along the river between 1st Avenue and 2nd Avenue and between 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue.
  16. 14.20 ftWater affects the lowest sections of C Street SW near Prairie Creek.
  17. 14.00 ftWater affects many residences in Cedar Bluff.
  18. 13.50 ftWater affects the lowest sections of Palo.
  19. 13.00 ftWater affects the lowest residences in Cedar Bluff.
  20. 11.50 ftWater affects Osborn Park in Cedar Rapids.
  21. 9.50 ftWater affects the lowest sections of Otis Road SE.

Flood outlook

Significant river flooding is possible here through September 25.

Weather conditions indicate that significant flooding could occur; it is neither certain nor imminent.

Chance of flooding, September to November

CategoryChance
Minor flooding10%
Moderate flooding7%
Major flooding6%

The five-day outlook is from the Weather Prediction Center with the River Forecast Centers. The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued August 28, 2026.

Crest history

303 crests on NOAA’s list since 1851.

#DateStage
1June 13, 200831.12 ft
2September 27, 201621.97 ft
3March 18, 192920.00 ft
4June 1, 185120.00 ft
5March 31, 196119.66 ft
6April 4, 199319.27 ft
7April 4, 193318.60 ft
8April 10, 196518.51 ft
9March 19, 201918.32 ft
10July 25, 199918.31 ft
11May 27, 200418.30 ft
12June 2, 201318.23 ft
13June 16, 194718.23 ft
14July 12, 199318.05 ft
15September 26, 201817.94 ft
16July 18, 199317.85 ft
17March 30, 190617.60 ft
18March 26, 191717.40 ft
19April 11, 195117.22 ft
20April 1, 191217.20 ft
21March 19, 194517.09 ft
22May 31, 190316.85 ft
23June 24, 201416.77 ft
24April 2, 196016.75 ft
25August 21, 199316.73 ft

Most recent crests

  • July 15, 2026: 12.01 ft
  • June 29, 2024: 13.86 ft
  • June 25, 2020: 15.71 ft
  • March 19, 2019: 18.32 ft
  • September 26, 2018: 17.94 ft
  • February 2, 2017: 10.09 ft
  • October 1, 2016: 13.98 ft
  • September 27, 2016: 21.97 ft
  • June 28, 2015: 10.30 ft
  • June 24, 2014: 16.77 ft

Nearby

Upstream, downstream and the gauges around this one.

What this means

Forecasts by the North Central River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued routinely during the warm season, and as needed at other times of the year. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 48 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time.

Sources

Stage, flood stages, impacts and crest history from NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service. Streamflow and the daily record from the U.S. Geological Survey.