Cedar River at Charles City

1. 22.50 ftEast of 700 Riverside Drive is under water. The public parking lot south of City Hall begins to flood.
2. 21.50 ftClark Street at Brantingham Street begins to flood. The Gilbert Street lift station wet well requires sandbagging. Fire Department, City Shed, and Park Department are all evacuated.
3. 21.00 ftHighway 218 and Brantinham at South Grand Avenue begins to flood.
4. 20.00 ftClark Street at Leland Street and Court Street at South Illinois Street begins to flood.
5. 19.50 ftRiverside Drive at North Iowa and Joslin streets begins to flood. Gilbert Street begins to flood with sandbagging required.
6. 19.00 ftBrackett Street and Riverside Drive at North Johnson street are flooded. The Lions Field cottages are threatened and Highway 18 begins to flood.
7. 18.00 ftFourth Street at South Grand Avenue begins to flood. East Riverside Drive at Brantingham Streets are closed. Sandbag efforts begin along Gilbert Street.
8. 17.50 ftRiverside Drive at St. Marys Street begins to flood.
9. 17.00 ftResidences south of Riverside Drive may be flooded.
10. 15.00 ftLeland Avenue and Park Drive at 19th Avenue begins to flood.
11. 14.00 ftBracket Street begins to flood and is closed.
12. 12.00 ftBarricading of streets begins, and the intersection of Riverside and North Illinois Streets may be flooded. Cable pedestrian bridge is closed.

Chance of flooding, September to November

The three-month chances are the River Forecast Centers’ long-range flood outlook, issued August 28, 2026.

Most recent crests

• July 10, 2026: 17.54 ft
• August 20, 2025: 13.48 ft
• June 24, 2024: 21.57 ft
• February 28, 2023: 11.44 ft
• April 14, 2022: 9.24 ft
• August 29, 2021: 16.27 ft
• March 10, 2020: 11.92 ft
• March 16, 2019: 15.79 ft
• September 22, 2018: 13.84 ft
• October 27, 2016: 12.01 ft

• UpstreamCedar River
• DownstreamCedar River
• Beaver Creek
• Beaver Creek
• Beaver Creek
• Little Cedar River at Ionia
• Slough Creek
• Little Cedar River at Nashua
• Little Cedar River at Orchard 5E

Forecasts by the North Central River Forecast Center. Forecasts are issued as needed during times of high water, but are not routinely available. River forecasts for this location take into account past precipitation and the precipitation amounts expected approximately 24 hours into the future from the forecast issuance time. 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.

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.