Rain-spiked Rivers Cause Minor Flooding in Eastern Missouri

O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — Heavy rain over the past week has caused the Mississippi River and its tributaries to rise, resulting in minor flooding in parts of eastern Missouri.

The Missouri River was falling in Hermann and Washington after moderate flooding over the weekend. The river on Friday got to 6.8 feet above flood stage in Hermann and 4.6 feet above flood stage in Washington. Both cities saw a few road closures, and farm fields were inundated.

By Sunday, the water level had dropped to near the flood stage level in both communities.

The Mississippi River in Cape Girardeau was 5.1 feet above technical flood stage, the National Weather Service’s website showed Sunday. The river level is expected to rise nearly a foot by Monday and stay at that level through Thursday before dropping. The water has flooded some roads and fields, but few if any homes are expected to be affected.

The Mississippi River was a foot-and-a-half above technical flood stage at St. Louis, which is several feet short of where it would cause any significant problems. The bigger concern in the St. Louis region was the Meramec River.

The weather service predicts that the Meramec will reach more than 6 feet above flood level in Arnold, a St. Louis suburb, by Sunday evening. Several roads have been closed and athletic fields near the river are flooded.

After the crest, the Meramec is expected to fall quickly and dip below flood stage by Thursday.

In western Missouri, the Osage River was 5.1 feet above flood stage in tiny Schell City, inundating a conservation area’s campground. Water levels were cresting Sunday and were expected to fall quickly to below flood stage by Wednesday.