The National Weather Service has extended Flood Warnings for the Shell Rock and Winnebago Rivers in northern Iowa, where minor flooding is both ongoing and expected to continue through the weekend. A Flood Warning remains in effect until late Sunday evening for the Shell Rock River, which affects Butler, Black Hawk, and Bremer Counties.
As of 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, the river stage was 12.3 feet, above the flood stage of 12 feet. The river is forecast to crest at 14.2 feet early Friday before falling below flood stage Sunday afternoon. At 14 feet, flooding typically occurs in residential yards within Shell Rock.
A separate Flood Warning is in effect until Friday evening for the Winnebago River, impacting Worth, Cerro Gordo, and Floyd Counties. Wednesday morning, the river measured 10.4 feet, approaching its flood stage of 10 feet. The river is expected to crest at 11.0 feet just after midnight and drop below flood stage by early Friday afternoon. At that level, sandbagging operations are typically initiated along the dike between 12th Street NE and Carolina Street in Mason City.
Residents are urged to use caution, especially near flooded roads. “Turn around, don’t drown” remains the official safety advice, as most flood-related deaths occur in vehicles.
River forecasts factor in both observed and predicted precipitation for the next 24 hours. For the latest updates, visit weather.gov/desmoines/water.
