116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
UPDATE: Cedar River crest in Cedar Rapids revised to 23 feet
The Gazette
Sep. 24, 2016 12:58 pm, Updated: Sep. 24, 2016 9:05 pm
CEDAR RAPIDS — The predicted crest of the Cedar River has been revised by the National Weather Service and is now expected to top out at 23 feet Tuesday morning.
That's slightly lower than the previous estimates of 23.5 feet, 24 feet, 24.5 feet and 25.3 feet, which were issued Saturday night, Saturday afternoon, Saturday morning and Friday afternoon, respectively.
The latest update came at 11:30 a.m. Sunday.
According to the National Weather Service, the Cedar River at Cedar Rapids is currently at 9.81 feet. It is expected to continue rising Sunday, reaching 16 feet — major flood stage — sometime Sunday evening.
Current projections call for the river level to reach 18 feet early Monday, 22 feet Monday evening and 23 feet around 7 a.m. Tuesday.
Minor flood stage level for the Cedar River is 12 feet and moderate flooding takes place at 14 feet.
If projections hold true, this would be the second worst flood in Cedar Rapids history.
In 2008, the river crested at 31.12 feet on June 13. It was considered a 500-year flood and caused $2.4 billion in damages.
The next highest crest on record is 20 feet, which was recorded June 1, 1851, and again March 18, 1929.
Cedar Rapids spokeswoman Maria Johnson said a temporary flood protection system is being designed to withstand up to a 26-foot river crest.