Sacramento-area waterway could see flooding as heavy rain raises river levels. Which one?
Recent rainfall has swollen Sacramento-area rivers and caused local bypasses to begin flowing, according to forecasters.
The Yolo Bypass south of Sacramento could reach minor flooding levels on Saturday, National Weather service meteorologist Courtney Carpenter told The Sacramento Bee on Thursday.
The flood bypass in Yolo and Solano counties diverts floodwaters from the Sacramento River away from the capital city and neighboring communities through a series of weirs.
According to the California Nevada River Forecast Center, water levels in the Sacramento River are high enough to begin flowing past low dam.
Here’s what to know.
Which Sacramento-area waterway could see flooding?
The Yolo Bypass was expected to hit levels that indicate a minor flood by 7 p.m. Saturday, according to the California Nevada River Forecast Center.
The bypass could reach 19 feet by the weekend, which could cause minor flooding, the river forecast center said in a forecast.
Water levels could rise as high as 19.91 feet early Monday morning.
The river forecast center, which looked at possible flood conditions at Sacramento-area waterways as late as early Tuesday morning, did indicate when the bypass will return to below-flooding levels.
Carpenter said the water levels could cause some “minor” roadway flooding on nearby roads, which includes Highway 84.
As of midday Thursday, there were no other waterways at risk of flooding in the Sacramento area, Carpenter said.
How high is Sacramento River after the rain?
Around 6 p.m. Tuesday, the Sacramento River reached 32 feet at the Fremont Weir, which allowed water to begin flowing past the structure.
According to Carpenter, the weir is a flood control structure that holds back water until the river hits a certain water level.
At 32 feet, the river hits an “action” point at the Fremont Weir, meaning the river has begun flowing into a bypass.
Carpenter said this is normal and does not indicate any current or future flooding.
As of Thursday afternoon, the river prediction center hadn’t indicated there would be any flooding in the Sacramento River around the area of the weir through 4 a.m. Tuesday.
Along the Sacramento River near the I Street Bridge, water levels hit a high of about 24 feet on Thursday morning, roughly three feet below the gauge’s action point.
How high were other rivers in the area?
The American River reached 24.5 feet near H Street in Sacramento on Thursday, according to the river forecast center.
The water level was expected to begin gradually dropping through Tuesday.
The Cosumnes River along Highway 99 south of Elk Grove reached its peak height at 36 feet on Wednesday before water levels lowered Thursday.
According to the river prediction center’s forecast, water levels at the Cosumnes River could rise to 36 feet by Friday evening before dropping to below 30 feet by Tuesday.
This story was originally published February 6, 2025 at 1:46 PM.
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