Major Flooding Predicted Along Mississippi River in Eastern Iowa

Major flooding is expected in eastern Iowa along the Mississippi River in the coming days. 

Alexander Gibbs is the lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in the Quad Cities.

The National Weather Service says the river crest is expected to be similar to the 2001 flood. McGregor is expected to crest between 24 and 25 feet this weekend. Guttenberg is forecasted to crest around 21 feet this weekend. And the river has already reached major flood stage in Dubuque. It’s expected to crest close to 25 feet there early on Saturday – that’s about eight feet above flood stage. 

Gibbs says most of this water heading down the Mississippi is melted snow.

Governor Reynolds has issued a disaster proclamation for ten counties in response to flooding along the Mississippi River. The proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of flooding in those counties, which include Clayton and Dubuque. 

The Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is coordinating with emergency managers in counties along the Mississippi River corridor to check on their supplies of water pumps and sandbags and to offer technical assistance. And the agency’s director is recommending that Iowans who live along the Mississippi River prepare for possible flooding and have an evacuation plan ready.

Radio Iowa contributed to this story