Published: Apr 20, 2013, 9:41 AM EDT weather.com
Heavy rain in the Midwest Wednesday into Thursday has created critical flooding problems in at least a half-dozen states. States of emergency were declared, residents were evacuated and roads were closed in the affected areas.
Associated Press – Police officer Shannon Vandenheuvel, left, and Melissa Kolenda, right, help Barbara Jones from her partially submerged car in Grand Rapids, Mich. Thursday, April 18, 2013. (AP Photo/Grand Rapids Press, Chris Clark)
Vermont, Ill.
weather.com iWitness Weather/Ashley Wear Lillie
Associated Press – An aerial photo shows floodwaters from the Illinois River at near record levels in Utica, Ill., Friday, April 19, 2013. Utica Mayor Fred Esmond issued an evacuation recommendation Thursday, which many residents took. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn on Friday declared 38 counties as state disaster areas. (AP Photo/NewsTribune, Genna Ord)
Associated Press – Flood waters from the rising Illinois River encroach on the downtown businesses in Utica, Ill., Thursday, April 19, 2013. (AP Photo/NewsTribune, Amanda Whitlock)
Associated Press – London Mills Assistant Fire Chief Scott Butler, left, and volunteer Shawn Taylor go house to house checking on flooded residents Friday, April 19, 2013, in London Mills, Ill., after the Spoon River overflowed the levee.(AP Photo/Journal Star, Fred Zwicky)
On Saturday, more than 50 river/stream gauges were in major flood in parts of Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan.
Below is a state-by-state look at the latest from the ongoing massive flooding in the Midwest.
Illinois
Record flooding has been been recorded at around a dozen river gauges in the state. New record crests include: Des Plaines River at Des Plaines and Riverside IL; Vermilion River at Leonore IL; East Branch DuPage River at Bolingbrook; North Branch Chicago River in Chicago; Illinois River at Morris, Ottawa, and LaSalle IL; Fox River at Algonquin Tailwater IL. Also records at Spoon River, Seville IL; Lamoine River at Colmar IL. The Rock River at Bryon hit a record, but the period of record only dates to 2000.
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn declared a state of emergency to help with widespread flooding issues.
On Thursday morning, heavy rain in Chicago ripped open a sinkhole large enough to swallow three cars and injuring one driver badly enough that he had to be hospitalized.
April 2013 is currently the third wettest April in Chicago’s history with 7.83 inches of precipitation.
Along the Mississippi River, Alton, Ill. was expected to see its fifth highest flood on record Monday into Tuesday. At this level, commercial damages begin in Alton.
The Rock River was expected to reach near a record level in Moline, Ill. by Sunday.
As many as 1,500 residents of the northern Illinois city of Marseilles were evacuated Thursday night when fears of a levee breach were heightened as seven barges broke free from a towing vessel and came to rest against a dam on the Illinois River.
In the central Illinois town of London Mills, the Spoon River topped a levee and forced the evacuations of half of the 500 residents.
In Quincy, Ill., the Mississippi rose a “pretty amazing” nearly 10 feet in 36 hours, National Weather Service hydrologist Mark Fuchs said. One of two bridges there was shut down Friday, and the sewage plant was threatened. “It’s just been skyrocketing,” Fuchs added of the Mississippi’s swift rise. Downriver from Quincy, a bridge at Louisiana, Mo., was to close at noon Saturday
VIEW: Illinois Flood Warnings
Flood Warnings
Michigan
Record flooding is ongoing on the Grand River in Grand Rapids, Mich. A crest of just under 23 feet was expected late Sunday into Monday. If the river reaches 23 feet, major flooding of residential areas could occur.
VIEW: Michigan Flood Warnings
Missouri
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency and activated the Missouri National Guard to aid flood-fighting efforts.
The Army Corps of Engineers said Friday most of the locks and dams from the Quad Cities to near St. Louis were closed due to the flood, effectively halting barge and other traffic on that part of the Mississippi.
In Clarksville, Mo., a small, scenic Mississippi River town about 60 miles north of St. Louis, some 100 people were working feverishly to build a makeshift levee of gravel, plastic overlap and sandbags in a bid keep downtown dry. The heavy rain caused a sudden surge in the river, with a crest expected Sunday into Monday. “I’m confident it will work, but I’m not confident we’re going to get it done in time,” Clarksville resident Richard Cottrell, 64, said of the sandbag levee. “It’s a race against the clock.”
In Hannibal, Mo., the flood gates were installed in open sections of the levee that protects the Mark Twain sites and the rest of downtown. Emergency management director John Hark said he was in “full flood fight” mode.
The Mississippi River was expected to reach its eighth highest crest on record in St. Louis Tuesday into Wednesday. At this level the Choteau Island Levee, protecting 2400 acres, is overtopped. Also, Lemay Park just south of Lemay Ferry Road will begin flood.Farther south, major flooding is also expected by Tuesday or Wednesday in Cape Girardeau. If the river reaches a level of 42 feet as forecast, some homes could be affected and evacuations may be required for some areas.
Rainfall totals in the Midwest this past Wednesday-Thursday.
Iowa
At Burlington, Iowa, the Mississippi River was at just over 20 feet Saturday morning. The river was expected to rise to near its third or fourth highest level on record in Burlington at just under 22 feet Sunday into Monday.
Seven inches of rainfall were reported in North Liberty Wednesday into Thursday, where hail fell a day before. Multiple towns reported flash flooding on Wednesday and Thursday, with people trapped in cars, mudslides and creeks overflowing their banks, according to local reports.
VIEW: Iowa Flood Warnings
Indiana
In central Indiana, the Wabash River in Tippecanoe County near Lafayette could crest Saturday at 25.3 feet – its highest level in more than a half-century, according to the National Weather Service. This will cause flooding around parts of the Lafayette area.
VIEW: Indiana Flood Warnings
Wisconsin
Major flooding reported at several river gauge locations along the Rock River.
Major flooding was occurring on the Fox River near New Munster. The river was at a level of 14.5 feet on Saturday morning which results in widespread flooding in the town of Salem and the village of Silver City.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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