Mississippi River expected to crest Monday; IDOT updates road closure list

The Mississippi River at Grafton is expected to crest at 31.8 feet at 1 p.m. Monday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service’s advanced hydrologic prediction service on Saturday.

Grafton, which is 40 miles north of St. Louis, does not have flood walls or levees and Mayor Rick Eberlin said water was beginning to encroach upon City Hall, the Associated Press reported.

“We are at our wits’ end,” Eberlin said. “We are totally unprotected.”

While spring flooding continues to impact Grafton and the region, residents, businesses and farmers in low-lying areas won’t face the levels they had to deal with in the Flood of 1993.

Monday’s crest will remain below the record flood level of 38.2 feet in Grafton. The reading on Saturday was 30.6 feet, the National Weather Service reported.

The river is expected remain above major flood level of 29 feet until May 12 in Grafton, which is located at the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers.

“As the water recedes, Grafton’s residents and business owners will once again begin the process of cleaning up and welcoming you to visit this small town that has historically met the challenge of living next two these two great rivers,” the city of Grafton said in a news release.

The Argosy Casino Alton had to close in Alton but the Gateway Arch grounds remained open in St. Louis.

St. Clair County flood gates

Flood gates were installed on the Prairie Du Pont Levee at Triple Lakes Road on Saturday morning in St. Clair County.

“The flood gates are being installed on Triple Lakes Road as part of their certification process for the work that has been done on the levee,” the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency said in a Facebook post. “With the recent rise of the water, the levee district thought it would be a good time to get the project done to complete the certification on that part of the levee system.”

Road closures

The Illinois Department of Transportation on Saturday updated its road closure list to include the right lane of northbound U.S. 67 at Illinois 100 in Alton.

In the next 48 hours, IDOT expects two additional closures: the full intersection of U.S. 67 at Illinois 100 in Alton and the intersection of Illinois 108/100 in Kampsville.

IDOT said the following roads remain closed: Illinois 3 Truck By-Pass (Water Street) in Chester; Illinois 155 outside of Prairie du Rocher; Brussels Ferry; Southbound U.S. 67 in West Alton, Missouri (two-way traffic is established on the NB Lanes); Kaskaskia Street in Chester; Illinois 100 from U.S. 67 in Alton to Illinois 16 in Jersey County; Illinois 96 between County Highway 2 and Pike County Line in Calhoun County; Illinois 100 in Calhoun County just north of the Joe Page Bridge to Pearl; and Illinois 3 at Mary’s River to the Jackson County line in Randolph County.

Across the Midwest

The death toll attributed to Midwestern flooding was increased to four after the body of a second kayaker was found in Missouri on Friday afternoon.

The men were kayaking on a creek in southwest Missouri on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported. Also, a camper in near Ava, Mo., was caught in an overflowing creek and in northern Indiana a 2-year-old died when his mother drove onto a flooded road, according to the AP.

In Davenport, Iowa, parts of downtown remained flooded after a temporary flood barrier broke and the river level exceeded the record flood level of 1993. Although the river crested there on Friday, additional rain in the coming week could cause more problems, the AP said.

Metro-east forecast

The National Weather Service forecast calls for a nice day Sunday with sunny skies and a high near 75.

But for the rest of the next week, there is some chance of rain each day.

The Monday night and Tuesday morning forecasts include a 70 percent chance of rain. On Tuesday night, expect a 50 percent chance of showers.

The highs are predicted to be 80 Monday, 77 Tuesday and 74 Wednesday.

This story was originally published May 4, 2019 at 12:35 PM.