Forecasters warn of minor flooding along Cedar River

CEDAR RAPIDS — Forecasters expect minor flooding along the Cedar River in Vinton, Palo and Cedar Rapids this week, upgrading the National Weather Service’s flood watch for the areas to a warning.

“Turn around, don`t drown when encountering flooded roads,” the weather service warned. “Most flood deaths occur in vehicles.”

The weather service issued a flood warning for Vinton and Palo through the weekend, and placed Cedar Rapids on a flood warning starting Thursday afternoon through the weekend. In each case, forecasters said the flooding is expected to be minor and affect only low-level land and streets by the Cedar River.

At Vinton, the weather service said the river level Wednesday morning was 12.8 feet. Flood stage there begins at 15 feet. Forecasters predict the river at Vinton will crest Thursday night at 15.9 feet. It said the floodwaters, at that level, would affect agricultural land and much of 22nd Avenue Road northwest of Vinton.

At Blairs Ferry Road in Palo, the weather service said the river level was measured at 10.4 feet Wednesday morning. Flood stage there is 12.5 feet. Forecasters predict the river will crest there at 13.7 feet Friday afternoon. When the river reaches 13.5 feet, it said, Chain Bridge Road accessing the boat ramp would be closed.

In Cedar Rapids, the weather service measured the Cedar River at 8.5 feet Wednesday morning. Flood stage is at 12 feet. The river was now forecast to rise above flood stage Thursday afternoon and crest at 14.6 feet early Saturday. When the river reaches 9.5 feet, forecasters said, floodwaters affect the lower portions of Otis Road SE and at 14.2 feet affect the lowest sections of C Street SW near Prairie Creek.

Earlier this week, Cedar Rapids city officials said they expect several roads will be closed due to the threat but did not expect business or homes to be affected by any flooding. The city said it would update road closures at cedar-rapids.org.

Severe storms moved Tuesday night through the Corridor bringing reports of tornadoes and large hail, including reports of hail up to 1.75 inches in diameter in North Liberty and Solon.

The National Weather Service’s Quad Cities Bureau said Wednesday it had confirmed 16 tornadoes from the storm system just in its 36-county forecast region in Eastern Iowa — including Linn and Johnson counties — Western Illinois and Northeast Missouri. The bureau said it was the most storms from a single event since March 31, 2023, when there were 29 twisters in its forecast area. Spotters also reported two funnel clouds around Ely and southern Cedar Rapids.

“There were multiple tornado reports from trained spotters in eastern Iowa, including in the Preston, Ely, Solon, Olin, and Clarence areas,” the weather service reported. “Damage to outbuildings, trees, and crops near Preston and Ely were reported by public safety officials and media.”

The weather service said the four strongest tornadoes had maximum winds near 110 mph — EF1 on a scale from EF0 to the strongest, EF5.

No injuries had been reported.