Cedar River river
Total streamflow across the Cedar River was last observed at 56,075 cfs, and is expected to yield approximately 111,223 acre-ft of water today; about 121% of normal. River levels are high. Average streamflow for this time of year is 46,179 cfs, with recent peaks last observed on 2016-09-25 when daily discharge volume was observed at 294,406 cfs.
Maximum discharge along the river is currently at the Cedar River Near Conesville reporting a streamflow rate of 22,800 cfs. However, the streamgauge with the highest stage along the river is the Cedar River At Cedar Falls with a gauge stage of 78.70 ft. This river is monitored from 15 different streamgauging stations along the Cedar River, the highest being situated at an altitude of 1,911 ft, the Cedar River Below Bear Creek Near Cedar Falls.
River streamflow levels
Daily aggregate streamflow across every monitored gauge along the Cedar River. Use the range buttons to zoom in on a specific period.
Total streamflow
Sum of all monitored streamgauges · daily
Every streamgauge along the Cedar River
All 15 USGS gauges Snoflo tracks for this river, with current flow, stage, recent change, percent of normal, and the gauge's all-time min / max. Click any header to sort. Cells are heatmapped relative to the column min/max -- darker blue = higher.
| Streamgauge▾ | Streamflow (cfs)▾ | Gauge stage (ft)▾ | 24h Δ (%)▾ | % Normal▾ | Min (cfs)▾ | Max (cfs)▾ | Elevation (ft)▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cedar River Below Bear Creek Near Cedar Falls
WA
USGS 12114500
|
86 | 1.81 | -13.9 | 50% | 7 | 4,080 | 1,911 |
|
Cedar River Near Cedar Falls
WA
USGS 12115000
|
404 | 3.27 | 8.0 | 99% | 20 | 9,490 | 1,573 |
|
Cedar River Near Austin
MN
USGS 05457000
|
206 | 3.30 | -13.5 | 56% | 29 | 11,100 | 1,163 |
|
Cedar River At Charles City
IA
USGS 05457700
|
702 | 3.05 | -18.2 | 68% | 31 | 23,400 | 977 |
|
Cedar River At Powerplant At Cedar Falls
WA
USGS 12116400
|
69 | 31.76 | · | 98% | 1 | 3,120 | 955 |
|
Cedar River At Cedar Falls
WA
USGS 12116500
|
64 | 5.62 | -20.3 | 40% | 30 | 6,840 | 905 |
|
Cedar River At Waverly
IA
USGS 05458300
|
2,220 | 5.05 | -15.6 | 115% | 8 | 40,100 | 895 |
|
Cedar River At Janesville
IA
USGS 05458500
|
2,500 | 3.20 | -26.5 | 128% | 86 | 34,500 | 859 |
|
Cedar River At Cedar Falls
IA
USGS 05463050
|
5,460 | 78.70 | -6.8 | 94% | 425 | 77,700 | 853 |
|
Cedar River At Waterloo
IA
USGS 05464000
|
6,740 | 7.46 | 3.9 | 103% | 286 | 82,200 | 823 |
|
Cedar River At Cedar Rapids
IA
USGS 05464500
|
14,400 | 7.81 | 23.1 | 180% | 252 | 82,700 | 712 |
|
Cedar River Near Conesville
IA
USGS 05465000
|
22,800 | 13.10 | 37.4 | 230% | 561 | 80,200 | 593 |
|
Cedar River Near Landsburg
WA
USGS 12117500
|
402 | 1.41 | -8.0 | 85% | 189 | 8,290 | 590 |
|
Cedar River Below Diversion Near Landsburg
WA
USGS 12117600
|
244 | 3.06 | -11.0 | 58% | 77 | 7,400 | 493 |
|
Cedar River At Renton
WA
USGS 12119000
|
315 | 8.59 | -10.3 | 71% | 81 | 10,600 | 27 |
Maximum streamflow discharge by year
The single highest aggregate discharge recorded each year. Spotting the multi-year trend reveals droughts vs. wet cycles long before the headline daily flow does.
Annual peak discharge
From the river's full record · one point per water year
Streamflow elevation profile
Each bubble is one gauge along the river, plotted by current streamflow (x-axis) vs elevation (y-axis), sized by gauge stage. Reading top-to-bottom traces the river from headwaters down to its mouth -- you can see flow accumulate as elevation drops.
Elevation vs streamflow
One point per monitored gauge · bubble size = gauge stage
Cedar River
The Cedar River is a 338-mile long river located in the north-central part of the United States, primarily in the state of Iowa. It flows from its headwaters in Dodge County, Minnesota, through southern Minnesota and northern Iowa, before emptying into the Iowa River near Columbus Junction. The Cedar River is a principal tributary of the Iowa River and a significant source of water for the region. It has been used for agricultural irrigation and drinking water for many years. The river is also home to several reservoirs and dams, including the Cedar River Reservoir, which was created by the construction of the Cedar River Dam in the early 20th century. The Cedar River is popular for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and camping.
Recreation along the Cedar River
Fishing access and paddle runs Snoflo tracks within the watershed.
Track the Cedar River in the Snoflo app
Set per-gauge push alerts (e.g. "alert me when flow at the Russian R Nr Healdsburg crosses 5,000 cfs"), and Snoflo's iOS app pushes the moment USGS reports the crossing.
About the Cedar River
Where does the data for the Cedar River come from?
Streamflow and gauge stage data are sourced from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Information System. The aggregate flow shown at the top of the page is computed by Snoflo as the sum of all monitored gauges along the river.
How is "percent of normal" calculated?
Today's aggregate streamflow is compared to the historical average aggregate streamflow on this calendar day across the river's full record. 100% means right on average; values above 100% indicate above-normal flow (wet year); values below indicate below-normal (dry year or drought).
Why are some gauges showing very different flows?
Gauges along a river measure flow at different points: headwater gauges read what's coming off the snowpack or mountain runoff; downstream gauges integrate everything upstream, including tributary inputs. Wide spreads usually mean a tributary is contributing significantly between gauges.
What's the elevation profile chart showing?
Each bubble is one gauge along the river, plotted by streamflow (x-axis) and elevation (y-axis), sized by gauge stage. Reading top-down traces the river from headwaters to mouth -- you can see flow build as elevation drops.
Can I get alerts when a specific gauge crosses a threshold?
Yes -- alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app on a per-gauge basis. Open any individual streamgauge from the table above and favorite it to set a discharge threshold.