River Conditions
Illustrated map of Black Hawk Lake

River stage

Cedar Bluff, Cedar River

River level
8.44 ft
Status
Below flood stage
7-day change
-5.62 ft
Recent high
14.66 ft
Recent low
5.57 ft

Last reported 2026-10-13 | NWS CEBI4

30-day change
+2.83 ft
Average
8.64 ft
Readings
122
Data span
122 days
Record crest
24.70 ft

In brief

The Cedar River at Cedar Bluff, IA read 8.44 ft on Oct 13, 2026, 3.56 ft below action stage. That is 2.83 ft higher than 30 days earlier.

Source: National Weather Service gauge CEBI4

River level timeline

47101316SEP 13SEP 18SEP 23SEP 28OCT 03OCT 08OCT 13ACTION 12.00 ftHIGH 14.66LOW 5.588.53 ftLAST READING

Stage threshold profile

Action stage 12.00 ftMinor flooding 16.00 ftModerate flooding 20.00 ftMajor flooding 26.00 ft CURRENT 8.44 ft

Highest crests on record

RankCrestDate
1 24.70 ft 2016-09-28
2 21.99 ft 2013-06-02
3 21.47 ft 2019-03-19
4 21.38 ft 2018-09-26
5 20.83 ft 2014-07-02
6 19.75 ft 2016-10-01
7 19.00 ft 2020-06-26
8 13.64 ft 2015-06-29

Flood crests recorded at this gauge by the National Weather Service.

What happens at each level

  1. 16.00 ft

    Agricultural land is flooded.

  2. 18.00 ft

    Water begins to affect access to the Sutliff Recreation Bridge. The lowest sections of West Rochester Ave north of West Rochester Road are also affected by water, limiting access to residents in the Rainbow Valley Subdivision.

  3. 19.50 ft

    Water affects the lowest sections of Atalissa Road between County Highway F44 and Interstate-80.

  4. 20.00 ft

    Agricultural land is under water and water starts inundating several county roads near the river.

  5. 20.50 ft

    Portions of County Road F14 and White Oak Ave NE are closed near Sutliff.

  6. 20.80 ft

    Water affects the lowest sections of Cedar Valley Park Road.

  7. 21.40 ft

    Water affects the lowest sections of Atalissa Road between Interstate-80 and the Muscatine County Line, as well as 185th St west of Baker Ave (Coon Bottom).

  8. 21.60 ft

    Water affects the lowest sections of Delta Ave north of County Highway F28 (210th St).

  9. 23.00 ft

    The bridge going over the Cedar River on County Highway F44 at Rochester is closed.

  10. 26.00 ft

    Water begins to overtop Interstate-80 just west of the Cedar River bridge.

Written by the local National Weather Service forecast office for this exact gauge.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Cedar River flooding at Cedar Bluff?

No. The Cedar River at Cedar Bluff is at 8.44 ft, 3.56 ft below action stage.

What is the flood stage at Cedar Bluff?

The National Weather Service sets action stage 12 ft, minor flooding 16 ft, moderate flooding 20 ft and major flooding 26 ft.

What is the highest the Cedar River has been at Cedar Bluff?

The highest crest on record is 24.7 ft, on 2016-09-28.

Is the Cedar River high or low right now at Cedar Bluff?

At 8.44 ft it is higher than 56% of readings over the last 122 days.

Stage and flood information from the NOAA National Weather Service (gauge CEBI4); daily history from the U.S. Geological Survey (site 05464780). Last reading 2026-10-13. For flood safety decisions always follow official National Weather Service warnings.