Rising Mississippi River continuing to test flood defenses in northwest Illinois

DAVENPORT, Iowa — After rising for days, the Mississippi River crested at Davenport, Iowa, midday Monday, peaking slightly lower than forecast but still high enough to test the city’s flood defenses and to keep officials on guard.

The rising river in southeast Iowa and northwest Illinois was caused by a surge of water from melting snowfall to the north. The peak levels this spring will likely rank in the top ten of all time in many places, but the National Weather Service still said river levels will generally remain well below past records.

That should help most towns along the river withstand the floodwaters, though officials will be checking their floodwalls and sandbag barriers closely in the next few days.

National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Wilson said the river crested at Davenport on Monday at 21.4 feet. That’s slightly lower than the 21.6 feet predicted for the Quad-Cities area, where several neighboring cities sit along the Iowa-Illinois line.

Some roads and parks near the river are closed. The record at that spot is 22.7 feet. Flood stage at that part of the river is 15 feet.

Officials in towns along the river have said they are optimistic they will escape severe flooding this year, thanks to improved floodwalls and other prevention measures.

“Everybody’s plan along the river has been put to the test and everybody is passing right now,” Wilson said.

Two minor levee breaks were reported over the weekend near a wildlife refuge south of Bellevue, Iowa, and in Camanche, Iowa, that covered a couple streets with water, but Wilson said no homes were damaged, and officials were able to build a new sandbag barrier in Camanche to bring that flooding under control.

The river peaked in the Dubuque area Saturday at 23.03 feet — well below the 25.7 feet record — but officials there were grateful to have the floodwall in place that the city built 50 years ago.

Without that floodwall, the city would be facing significant problems, said Deron Muehring, a civil engineer for the city of Dubuque.

“The floodwaters would be up to 6 feet deep in the Port of Dubuque and more than 7 feet deep in the south port,” Muehring told the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald.

Once the river crests in an area, it may take up to two weeks for the floodwaters to fully recede.

The flooding is expected to ease as the spring surge of water from melting snow works its way further down the 2,300-mile length of the river on its way to the Gulf of Mexico. Most of the tributaries in Iowa, Illinois and other Midwest states are running lower than usual, so they won’t exacerbate the flooding by dumping large amounts of water into the river.

The flooding woes come as Florida and Virginia residents are cleaning up from weekend tornadoes.

On Saturday, a tornado touched down in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, with winds of 100 mph, while a tornado moved through the City of Virginia Beach on Sunday, damaging dozens of homes, downing trees and causing gas leaks.