ST. LOUIS – More rain is coming this week, and more fell in the Northern Mississippi River Basin, which means flooding again is returning to the Riverbend.
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National Weather Service (NWS) Meteorologist Patrick Walsh said the current flood predictions only account for already-fallen rain as well as predicted rain for the next 24 hours. As much precipitation this time of year is caused by thunderstorms, it is more difficult to predict when and where it will fall, as they are not within broad systems covering huge patches of land. Walsh said more rain is expected to fall both in the St. Louis area and to the north, which will likely affect these predicted crests. Here is where the area stands as far as flooding is concerned now.
Grafton, which was beginning to finally dry after a previous crest of 32.1 feet, is still in moderate flooding levels. Walsh said it will again see a major flood stage crest of at least 31 feet by Monday. Alton will see an even-higher crest of 35.1 feet by the morning of May 27. This will boost the flood stage from its current minor levels to major levels. Its previous crest – even during the deployment of the much-touted “muscle wall” - was 34.8 feet.
Hardin will not see much of an increase. The Illinois River is both slow to rise and fall. They are holding steady at 33.3 feet, which is still in major flood stages. It is expected to reach 35.5 with this new batch of water coming from the Northern Mississippi River Basin.
Walsh said this new round of flooding is coming from an especially rainy spring. States such as Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota have had higher-than-normal precipitation, which has been joined in this area by an excessive amount of precipitation. This has caused additional runoff into the already-swelling river. Walsh said the ground is already too saturated to take on any more additional moisture. This fact is coupled with more moisture in the immediate forecast. The Missouri River has also been seeing higher-than-normal precipitation, which causes additional issues for Alton and Grafton with the backup of the confluence just to the south, but worse issues for areas south of St. Louis, as well as the city itself.
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