Flooding Prediction Update 6/24/24
posted in Public Works on June 24, 2024
Update as of Monday, June 24, 2024 12:00 PM:
We are continuing to monitor the river levels to the north and the south. A few key points to take away at this time:
- It appears that Charles City crested this morning at around 21.57’.
- Waverly was at 9.34’ at 11:15 AM this morning.
- Janesville’s forecasted crest has changed to 14.3’ on Tuesday at 1:00 PM. This is a slight increase from the previous forecast of 14.0’.
With the river steadily rising we predict that water will be overtopping 7th Ave SE this afternoon, our best estimation would be around the 3:00 – 4:00 PM timeframe. Shortly after that happens, water will overtop 4th St. SE. The SE area of town around SE Elementary School will see the greatest impact from the rising waters.
There will be sewer backups in basements associated with this flooding. Please sandbag floor drains in basements to help prevent this.
Sandbagging stations have been set up at the following locations:
- City of Waverly Parks Division, 412 1st Avenue SE (behind the east Kwik Star)
- Waverly Public Services, 2900 5th Ave NW
- Southeast Elementary School, 809 4th Street SE
The Cedar River in Waverly is expected to crest around 7 AM on Tuesday. Given the current information, we expect the river to crest at around 14 feet. With this crest, we expect the following impacts as the water rises:
- 10-11 ft - Utilities assess when power will need to be shut off to impacted areas (primarily SE)
- 11.5 ft - Water overtops 7th Ave SE - road will be closed.
- 12.0 ft - Official minor flood stage for Waverly. Water crosses 4th Street SE from the east rendering access to the area around Southeast school difficult or impossible.
- 13.0 ft - 7th Ave SE, 4th St SE, and 8th St SE will now be closed.
- 13.5 ft – Cedar Lane will be closed at 2 locations (north and south of Murphy Addition’s entrances).
For reference, past floods in Waverly with the inflatable dam:
- 2016 - Charles City 21.0 ft, Waverly 13.2 ft, Janesville 16.4 ft
- 2013 - Charles City 19.49 ft, Waverly 13.13 ft, Janesville 14.62 ft
These predictions are subject to change with forecast updates from NOAA and additional rainfall in these areas and areas to the north.