CLARKSVILLE, MO. – Those fighting floods in several communities along the Mississippi River were mostly successful Sunday despite the onslaught of water, but an ominous forecast and the growing accumulation of snow in the Upper Midwest tempered any feelings of victory.
The surging Mississippi was at or near crest at several places from the Quad Cities in Iowa south to near St. Louis — some reaching 10-12 feet above flood stage. The flooding is blamed for the deaths of three people. And problems were plentiful: Hundreds of thousands of acres of swamped farmland as planting season approaches; roads and bridges closed, including sections of such major highways as U.S. 61 in Iowa and Missouri. and crossings at Quincy, Ill., and Louisiana, Mo.
The U.S. Coast Guard said 114 barges broke loose near St. Louis on Saturday night, and four hit the Jefferson Barracks Bridge in St. Louis County. The bridge was closed about six hours for inspection but reopened around 8 a.m. Sunday. Most of the runaway barges were corralled but at least 10 sank and two others were unaccounted for, Coast Guard Lt. Colin Fogarty said.
Two of the confirmed flood-related deaths occurred near the same spot in Indiana; another was in Missouri. In all three cases, vehicles were swept off the road in flash floods. High water could be responsible for two more, both in Illinois, where a decomposed body was found Thursday in an Oak Brook creek and a body was found Saturday in the Mississippi River at Cora.
The forecast calls for heavy rain Monday night and Tuesday throughout much of the Midwest — rain is projected from Wisconsin through Missouri. In addition, there is anxiety over the heavy snow in northern Midwest this month and what happens when it melts and makes its way into tributaries of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. Forecasters said up to 6 inches of new snow was possible in the Black Hills area of South Dakota.
AccuWeather meteorologist Alan Reppert said the timing of the snow melt could prove lucky: It may stay cold long enough up north to make for a gradual melt, giving the rivers time to thin out. Of greater concern, he said, is the Red River in North Dakota, which could see significant flooding in the coming weeks.
