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Cedar River (WA) at Renton

Highest listed crest 17.13 ftFlood stage 13.0 ft71 crests since 1906

The Cedar River (WA) at Renton crested at major flood stage 4 times among the 71 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1906 to 2015. The highest, 17.13 ft on November 24, 1990, was major flooding, 4.13 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Cedar River (WA) crested above flood stage within a week of it.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
17.13 ft
November 24, 1990; 10,600 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
13.0 ft
Major flooding from 16.0 ft
Crests at major
4
27th of 70 gauges in Washington
Most recent flood crest
December 9, 2015
13.40 ft, minor flooding
Location
King County
Near Renton (0.4 mi), Tukwila (3.5 mi), Newcastle (3.8 mi)

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Cedar River (WA) at Renton
Action stage10.428Jan 5, 2015The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)13.06Dec 9, 2015Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage14.50—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage16.04Jan 8, 2009Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

71 crests from 1906 to 2015. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Cedar River (WA) at Renton, 1906 to 2015 -505101520ft Flood stage 13.0 ftMajor 16.0 ft Nov 15, 1906: -1.00 ft, below flood stage; 5,650 cubic feet per secondDec 29, 1945: 4.53 ft, below flood stage; 2,860 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 1946: 6.70 ft, below flood stage; 5,510 cubic feet per secondFeb 26, 1948: 4.82 ft, below flood stage; 2,750 cubic feet per secondFeb 17, 1949: 4.85 ft, below flood stage; 2,780 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1950: 6.03 ft, below flood stage; 4,160 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1951: 9.48 ft, below flood stage; 6,640 cubic feet per secondFeb 4, 1952: 6.18 ft, below flood stage; 2,190 cubic feet per secondFeb 1, 1953: 7.62 ft, below flood stage; 4,110 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 1953: 6.97 ft, below flood stage; 3,250 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 1955: 7.15 ft, below flood stage; 3,480 cubic feet per secondDec 11, 1955: 7.37 ft, below flood stage; 3,640 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 1956: 7.13 ft, below flood stage; 3,460 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 1958: 6.06 ft, below flood stage; 2,160 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1959: 7.13 ft, below flood stage; 3,520 cubic feet per secondDec 15, 1959: 8.78 ft, below flood stage; 5,860 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1961: 6.98 ft, below flood stage; 3,180 cubic feet per secondDec 24, 1961: 6.47 ft, below flood stage; 2,570 cubic feet per secondJan 3, 1963: 6.21 ft, below flood stage; 2,340 cubic feet per secondJan 31, 1965: 8.43 ft, below flood stage; 5,300 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1967: 6.86 ft, below flood stage; 2,960 cubic feet per secondJan 21, 1968: 6.86 ft, below flood stage; 2,910 cubic feet per secondJan 7, 1969: 7.51 ft, below flood stage; 3,720 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1970: 6.68 ft, below flood stage; 2,290 cubic feet per secondJan 19, 1971: 7.32 ft, below flood stage; 2,730 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1972: 10.72 ft, action stage; 6,210 cubic feet per secondDec 27, 1972: 9.30 ft, below flood stage; 3,090 cubic feet per secondJan 26, 1974: 9.39 ft, below flood stage; 3,190 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 1975: 9.73 ft, below flood stage; 3,520 cubic feet per secondDec 4, 1975: 14.14 ft, minor flooding; 8,800 cubic feet per secondDec 3, 1977: 12.56 ft, action stage; 5,670 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 1979: 10.76 ft, action stage; 3,080 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1981: 10.72 ft, action stage; 3,020 cubic feet per secondFeb 21, 1982: 12.48 ft, action stage; 5,320 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 1983: 11.04 ft, action stage; 3,250 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1984: 12.63 ft, action stage; 5,540 cubic feet per secondNov 6, 1985: 10.78 ft, action stage; 2,480 cubic feet per secondNov 24, 1986: 13.23 ft, minor flooding; 5,070 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1988: 10.35 ft, below flood stage; 1,800 cubic feet per secondApr 6, 1989: 10.60 ft, action stage; 2,000 cubic feet per secondJan 9, 1990: 13.34 ft, minor flooding; 5,240 cubic feet per secondNov 24, 1990: 17.13 ft, major flooding; 10,600 cubic feet per secondJan 28, 1992: 11.29 ft, action stage; 2,280 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1993: 10.86 ft, action stage; 1,850 cubic feet per secondApr 22, 1994: 10.10 ft, below flood stage; 1,170 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1995: 12.43 ft, action stage; 3,170 cubic feet per secondNov 30, 1995: 16.04 ft, major flooding; 7,650 cubic feet per secondDec 13, 1995: 11.66 ft, action stage; 2,450 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1996: 16.00 ft, major flooding; 8,010 cubic feet per secondApr 23, 1996: 12.12 ft, action stageNov 28, 1996: 12.24 ft, action stageJan 2, 1997: 12.80 ft, action stage; 3,010 cubic feet per secondMar 19, 1997: 12.74 ft, action stage; 2,990 cubic feet per secondJan 23, 1998: 11.84 ft, action stage; 1,920 cubic feet per secondNov 26, 1998: 12.11 ft, action stage; 2,840 cubic feet per secondDec 19, 1999: 10.93 ft, action stage; 2,890 cubic feet per secondMay 16, 2001: 8.96 ft, below flood stage; 1,100 cubic feet per secondApr 14, 2002: 10.80 ft, action stage; 2,620 cubic feet per secondMar 13, 2003: 10.26 ft, below flood stage; 2,060 cubic feet per secondJan 29, 2004: 10.77 ft, action stage; 2,510 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 2005: 10.29 ft, below flood stage; 2,410 cubic feet per secondJan 14, 2006: 11.94 ft, action stage; 4,380 cubic feet per secondNov 7, 2006: 13.19 ft, minor flooding; 6,090 cubic feet per secondMay 22, 2008: 10.92 ft, action stage; 2,980 cubic feet per secondJan 8, 2009: 16.27 ft, major flooding; 9,390 cubic feet per secondJan 18, 2011: 13.41 ft, minor flooding; 5,870 cubic feet per secondJan 30, 2012: 11.36 ft, action stage; 2,790 cubic feet per secondApr 7, 2013: 10.92 ft, action stage; 2,320 cubic feet per secondMar 11, 2014: 12.49 ft, action stage; 3,860 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 2015: 11.67 ft, action stage; 2,800 cubic feet per secondDec 9, 2015: 13.40 ft, minor flooding; 4,957 cubic feet per second Highest, 17.13 ft, Nov 24, 1990 19201940196019802000

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Cedar River (WA) at Renton 1900s: 0 1910s: 0 1920s: 0 1930s: 0 1940s: 0 1950s: 0 1960s: 0 1970s: 1 1980s: 1 1990s: 4 4 2000s: 2 2010s: 2 1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.

Highest crests

The 50 highest of 71 listed crests.

Highest listed crests, Cedar River (WA) at Renton
1Nov 24, 199017.13+4.13Major10,600
2Jan 8, 200916.27+3.27Major9,390
3Nov 30, 199516.04+3.04Major7,650
4Feb 9, 199616.00+3.00Major8,010
5Dec 4, 197514.14+1.14Minor8,800
6Jan 18, 201113.41+0.41Minor5,870
7Dec 9, 201513.40+0.40Minor4,957
8Jan 9, 199013.34+0.34Minor5,240
9Nov 24, 198613.23+0.23Minor5,070
10Nov 7, 200613.19+0.19Minor6,090
11Jan 2, 199712.80−0.20Action3,010
12Mar 19, 199712.74−0.26Action2,990
13Jan 25, 198412.63−0.37Action5,540
14Dec 3, 197712.56−0.44Action5,670
15Mar 11, 201412.49−0.51Action3,860
16Feb 21, 198212.48−0.52Action5,320
17Feb 19, 199512.43−0.57Action3,170
18Nov 28, 199612.24−0.76Action—
19Apr 23, 199612.12−0.88Action—
20Nov 26, 199812.11−0.89Action2,840
21Jan 14, 200611.94−1.06Action4,380
22Jan 23, 199811.84−1.16Action1,920
23Jan 5, 201511.67−1.33Action2,800
24Dec 13, 199511.66−1.34Action2,450
25Jan 30, 201211.36−1.64Action2,790
26Jan 28, 199211.29−1.71Action2,280
27Jan 8, 198311.04−1.96Action3,250
28Dec 19, 199910.93−2.07Action2,890
29May 22, 200810.92−2.08Action2,980
30Apr 7, 201310.92−2.08Action2,320
31Jan 25, 199310.86−2.14Action1,850
32Apr 14, 200210.80−2.20Action2,620
33Nov 6, 198510.78−2.22Action2,480
34Jan 29, 200410.77−2.23Action2,510
35Dec 18, 197910.76−2.24Action3,080
36Mar 6, 197210.72−2.28Action6,210
37Feb 20, 198110.72−2.28Action3,020
38Apr 6, 198910.60−2.40Action2,000
39Apr 6, 198810.35−2.65Below flood stage1,800
40Jan 18, 200510.29−2.71Below flood stage2,410
41Mar 13, 200310.26−2.74Below flood stage2,060
42Apr 22, 199410.10−2.90Below flood stage1,170
43Jan 18, 19759.73−3.27Below flood stage3,520
44Feb 10, 19519.48−3.52Below flood stage6,640
45Jan 26, 19749.39−3.61Below flood stage3,190
46Dec 27, 19729.30−3.70Below flood stage3,090
47May 16, 20018.96−4.04Below flood stage1,100
48Dec 15, 19598.78−4.22Below flood stage5,860
49Jan 31, 19658.43−4.57Below flood stage5,300
50Feb 1, 19537.62−5.38Below flood stage4,110

The worst floods along the Cedar River (WA)

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Cedar River (WA) that crested above flood stage within a week.

November 24, 1990: 17.13 ft here, major flooding

  • LandsburgWA · Nov 24, 1990 · 10.38 ft · Major

January 8, 2009: 16.27 ft here, major flooding

  • LandsburgWA · Jan 8, 2009 · 8.44 ft · Major

November 30, 1995: 16.04 ft here, major flooding

  • LandsburgWA · Nov 30, 1995 · 7.43 ft · Moderate

Gauges on the Cedar River (WA)

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Cedar River (WA)
LandsburgWA5.713.55 ft, Dec 29, 191713
Renton this gaugeWA13.017.13 ft, Nov 24, 19904

Other gauges in King County

Flood gauges in King County
Landsburg5.713.55 ft, Dec 29, 191713
Carnation54.062.21 ft, Jan 8, 200931
Carnation - Discharge54.062.21 ft, Jan 7, 200928
Skykomish27.529.91 ft, Nov 17, 20150

King County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Washington

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge RNTW1, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.