Mississippi nearing flood stages as southwest IL officials keep eye on rainy forecast
After a weekend of heavy rain throughout the area and points north, local officials are keeping an eye on the rising levels of the Mississippi River.
Both local Emergency Management Agencies in St. Clair and Madison counties said there were no reports of flash flooding in the area despite National Weather Service warnings and multiple busts of heavy rainfall.
Madison County Emergency Management Director Tony Falconio said while flash flooding was not a major issue over the weekend, his department is keeping an eye on the river, particularly problem areas like downtown Alton, Pontoon Beach and Granite City.
He added that rain from upriver will keep the county ready for anything as the flood stage can change rapidly.
“We’re watching the river levels,” he said. “There was quite a big jump on the St. Louis gauge on the Mississippi.”
National Weather Service Senior Meteorologist Ben Herzog said the Mississippi most likely will crest before it reaches a minor flood stage, even though the weather service has forecast it to crest at 30.9 feet later today.
Currently, the river stands at 29.65 feet at St. Louis, well within the “action level.” The minor flood stage begins at 30 feet.
Herzon said if rain continues to pour into several northern basins that feed into the Mississippi, it’s possible that the forecast on the Mississippi could change. The National Weather Service’s flood forecasts are based on 24-hour forecasts.
With rain in the forecast until Thursday and a high possibility of showers both Wednesday and Thusday, Falconio and St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency Director Herb Simmons say they’re keeping a close eye out for rising water.
Two years ago, cities surrounding the river endured 127 days of consecutive flooding, before the Mississippi River at St. Louis fell below flood stage.
The Mississippi has been flooded since March 16, 2019 according to the St. Louis Branch of the National Weather Service, shattering the Great Flood of 1993’s record of 104 days.
That sustained flooding caused more than $33 million in damage to the metro-east, according to St. Clair, Madison and Monroe county emergency management agencies.