It's been 6 years since it happened. But no matter how much time passes, the "F" word still makes us all nervous, even though some minor flooding has become a yearly occurrence. However, all this rain lately has got many of us nervous, especially as we see the flooded areas to the north, (which will be headed our way soon), and start to hear about the road closures. How bad will it get? The good news is, the river is cresting to our North today, so we've got a good indicator of what's to come. However, with more rain today, and more possible almost all next week, we're definitely concerned. You drive around NewBo District, and you begin seeing cement tubes and sandbags around manhole covers, serving as a precautionary measure. All of the dam gates have also been lifted. We were originally expecting the river to crest this coming Tuesday at around 16.5 feet, however the additional rain is certainly concerning. In comparison though, last year we crested at 18ft.  

As such, concerns are only for "moderate flooding at this point.  However, some roads have already closed, including:

  • Otis RD SE by the river
  • Fish CT SW off Old River RD SW
  • Manhattan Park along Ellis RD NW
  • A ST SW from 17th to 22nd Ave (by Sunday PM)
  • Ellis RD NW is closed between 16th and 18th ST NW because of rain water.

Very soon, these roads may be closing as well:

  • More portions of Ellis Rd
  • B ST SW from 17th to 21st Ave
  • 18th Ave SW from A to C ST
  • 19th Ave SW from A to C ST
  • 20th Ave SW from A to C ST
  • 21st Ave SW from A to C ST
  • 22nd Ave SW from A to C ST
  • 14th Ave SE from 3rd to 4th ST
  • 4th ST SE from 12th to 14th Ave

As always, if you encounter flooded roads, never drive through. "Turn Around, Don't Drown." Let us know what you're seeing, send pictures, and we'll be sure to post em here, along with any other updated info.  Keeping our fingers crossed Linn County Fair will be okay this year.

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