Cedar River at Janesville water level

Name: Cedar River at Janesville water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, Cedar River, Iowa, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

3.03ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 06:45 PM CDT (48 min ago)

Flow: 2,280 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

Water levels are unremarkable at Cedar River at Janesville, where the gauge shows 3.03 ft.

It is 9.97 ft below the flood stage of 13.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 2.57 ft – 3.09 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 19.45 ftJune 10, 2008

Paddling and fishing conditions

Most paddlers and anglers will find the river in good shape at this stage.

For reference, flood stage is 13.00 ft.

What happens at each level

14.00 ft: Water threatens areas of Janesville south of 8th St.
13.00 ft: Water affects W 3rd St and may result in evacuation of a trailer court in Janesville. Water also affects much of the Janesville city park as well as nearby gravel roads.
12.00 ft: Widespread lowland flooding occurs especially within the city park. The flooding covers approximately 6000 acres.
11.00 ft: Lowland flooding of the city park occurs.
3.03 ft: Right now

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Highest crests on record

Chance of at least minor flooding in October to December: < 5 %.

Rank	Level	Date
1	19.45 ft	June 10, 2008
2	17.15 ft	July 22, 1999
3	16.33 ft	March 28, 1961
4	16.33 ft	March 3, 1965
5	16.27 ft	September 24, 2016
6	16.20 ft	March 17, 1945
7	16.00 ft	March 16, 1929
8	16.00 ft	April 1, 1933
9	15.74 ft	August 18, 1993
10	15.11 ft	August 30, 2021

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 0.83 in. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 61° 38° – Wind 15 mph

19 Mon 62° 39° – Wind 8 mph

20 Tue 66° 47° – Wind 10 mph

21 Wed 69° 49° 0.00 in Wind 12 mph

22 Thu 66° 55° 0.04 in Wind 8 mph

23 Fri 69° 52° 0.01 in Wind 16 mph

24 Sat 68° 51° 0.02 in Wind 17 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:29 AM Sunset 06:21 PM Daylight 10 hr, 52 min First quarter 63%

Map

Other gauges on the Cedar River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Cedar River near AustinRiver gauge, Cedar River	4.05 ft	Below flood stage	−0.17 ft	73 mi
Cedar River at Charles CityRiver gauge, Cedar River	3.87 ft	Below flood stage	−0.17 ft	30 mi
Cedar River at WaverlyRiver gauge, Cedar River	5.10 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	6.1 mi
Cedar River at Cedar FallsRiver gauge, Cedar River	82.23 ft	Normal	+0.02 ft	8 mi
Cedar River at WaterlooRiver gauge, Cedar River	7.51 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	12 mi
Cedar River at VintonRiver gauge, Cedar River	6.94 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	40 mi
Cedar River at Blairs Ferry Road at PaloRiver gauge, Cedar River	6.97 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	53 mi
Cedar River at Edgewood Road at Cedar RapidsRiver gauge, Cedar River	5.30 ft	No reference yet	−0.08 ft	59 mi
Cedar River at Cedar RapidsRiver gauge, Cedar River	6.40 ft	Below flood stage	+0.17 ft	62 mi
Cedar River below Indian Creek at Cedar RapidsRiver gauge, Cedar River	9,900 cfs	Normal	−50.0 cfs	66 mi
Cedar River at Cedar BluffRiver gauge, Cedar River	8.86 ft	Below flood stage	+0.24 ft	84 mi
Cedar River near ConesvilleRiver gauge, Cedar River	9.80 ft	Below flood stage	+0.24 ft	105 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
West Fork Cedar River at FinchfordRiver gauge, West Fork Cedar River	8.81 ft	Below flood stage	−0.16 ft	4.2 mi
Shell Rock River at Shell RockRiver gauge, Shell Rock River	8.90 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	7 mi
Beaver Creek at New HartfordRiver gauge, Beaver Creek	5.21 ft	Below flood stage	−0.49 ft	9 mi
Black Hawk Creek at HudsonRiver gauge, Black Hawk Creek	9.15 ft	Below flood stage	−0.49 ft	17 mi
Wapsipinicon River near TripoliRiver gauge, Wapsipinicon River	9.32 ft	Below flood stage	−0.16 ft	17 mi
Little Wapsipinicon River near OranRiver gauge, Little Wapsipinicon River	83.25 ft	Below flood stage	−0.38 ft	22 mi
Little Cedar River near IoniaRiver gauge, Little Cedar River	4.40 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	27 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the Cedar River at Janesville?

The official flood stage is 13.00 ft. The level is currently 9.97 ft below it.

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of Cedar River at Janesville today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 06:45 PM CDT, the water level was 3.03 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Cedar River at Janesville rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Cedar River at Janesville normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Cedar River at Janesville?

The highest level on record is 19.45 ft on June 10, 2008.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:05458500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 42.64832, -92.46519 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	3.03 ft	2026-10-19 23:45	Provisional
Flow	2,280 cfs	2026-10-19 23:45	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Cedar River at Janesville (usgs:05458500). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/iowa/cedar-river-at-janesville

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer