How high is the Cedar River at Waterloo, IA right now?

The Cedar River at Waterloo, IA is currently flowing at 4,260 cubic feet per second with a gage height of 6.74 feet, based on the most recent USGS instantaneous reading.

Is the flow on the Cedar River at Waterloo, IA normal for this time of year?

Current flow is classified as normal for June 11. Today's discharge is at the 49th percentile compared to the long-term historical record at this gauge.

Is the Cedar River at Waterloo, IA at flood stage?

No — the gage height is 6.26 feet below the NWS flood-stage threshold of 13.0 feet.

What is the historical median flow for the Cedar River at Waterloo, IA on June 11?

The long-term median discharge for this date is 4,360 cfs based on USGS daily statistics. The 10th–95th percentile range historically is 1,180 to 25,800 cfs.

Where is the Cedar River at Waterloo, IA stream gauge located?

The Cedar River at Waterloo, IA stream gauge is operated by the USGS in Black Hawk County, IA on the Cedar River. USGS site number 05464000 (coordinates 42.4955, -92.3343).

Cedar River at Waterloo, IA

USGS Site No: 05464000 • Cedar River • Black Hawk County, IA

Cedar River at Waterloo, IA on the Cedar River is currently at 4,260 cfs (Normal — 49th percentile for this date) . Gage height: 6.74 ft.

Reading from 1 week ago

↑ Upstream on Cedar River

Cedar River at Cedar Falls, IA

Downstream on Cedar River ↓

Cedar River at Vinton, IA

4,260

CFS Discharge

6.74

Gage Height (ft)

Normal

Flow Condition

Normal

Flood Status

Historical Percentile Comparison

Today's discharge compared to the long-term record for June 11 at this station. Percentile rank shows what fraction of historical years had lower flow on this date.

Percentile	Label	CFS Threshold	Today's Flow
10th	Very Low threshold	1,180
25th	Low threshold	2,280
50th (Median)	Normal (median)	4,360	Today: 4,260 cfs
75th	High threshold	7,500
95th	Very High threshold	25,800

30-Day Hydrograph

Recent discharge plotted against the historical 10th–95th percentile envelope for the same calendar days. Source: USGS daily values + long-term statistics.

10th–95th historical Day-of-year median Recent discharge

30-Day Flow History

Date	Discharge (CFS)	Gage Ht (ft)
May 28, 2026	3,590	—
May 27, 2026	3,700	—
May 26, 2026	3,840	—
May 25, 2026	3,990	—
May 24, 2026	4,250	—
May 23, 2026	4,450	—
May 22, 2026	4,770	—
May 21, 2026	5,020	—
May 20, 2026	5,160	—
May 19, 2026	4,720	—
May 18, 2026	4,310	—
May 17, 2026	3,920	—
May 16, 2026	3,540	—
May 15, 2026	3,250	—
Apr 20, 2026	9,220	—
Apr 19, 2026	11,000	—
Apr 18, 2026	13,200	—
Apr 17, 2026	14,100	—
Apr 16, 2026	11,800	—
Apr 15, 2026	8,730	—
Apr 14, 2026	8,260	—
Apr 13, 2026	8,460	—
Apr 12, 2026	9,130	—
Apr 11, 2026	10,200	—
Apr 10, 2026	11,900	—
Apr 9, 2026	14,200	—
Apr 8, 2026	17,300	—
Apr 7, 2026	20,800	—
Apr 6, 2026	21,900	—
Apr 5, 2026	18,100	—

Station Information

USGS Site No: 05464000
State: IA
County: Black Hawk County
Coordinates: 42.4955, -92.3343
Drainage Area: 5,146 mi²
Datum (ft): 823.7
HUC Code: 07080205

View on USGS NWIS →

Flood Stage Thresholds

Action Stage: 8.5 ft
Flood Stage: 13.0 ft
Moderate Flood: 19.0 ft
Major Flood: 21.0 ft

Currently 6.26 ft below flood stage.

Recent Extremes

Max discharge: 25,600 cfs

Aug 2, 2025
Min discharge: 669 cfs

Jan 19, 2026
Days at flood stage: 0

Computed from the local daily-values archive.

Nearby Gauges

Cedar River at Cedar Falls, IA
6.3 mi · 4,010 cfs

Low
Black Hawk Creek at Hudson, IA
8.9 mi · 206 cfs

Normal
Cedar River at Janesville, IA
12.5 mi · 1,570 cfs

Normal
West Fork Cedar River at Finchford, IA
14.1 mi · 535 cfs

Normal
Beaver Creek at New Hartford, IA
15.4 mi · 227 cfs

Normal