Tagged: flood

National Weather Service meteorologists say the flood-swollen Mississippi River is going down, but it will be some time before things dry out.  The waterway has crested from Iowa through southern Missouri and Illinois but remains above flood stage at many spots.  Hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland are under water and hundreds of roads remain closed.  The river is still 10 feet above technical flood stage at Cape Girardeau, Missouri and Grafton, Illinois.

Flash floods destroyed more than two dozen homes in the Dover, Tenn. area this weekend.

Stewart County Emergency Management Agency Director Clint Mathis estimates around $2 million in damage to Stewart County residences. Mathis said the majority of the damage occurred in the Carlisle community. He said the displaced residents are receiving aid at area churches.

Mathis said along with the flooded homes, the county’s road network was also “severely impacted.”

Moderate flooding is expected near Cairo, IL as the Mississippi and Illinois rivers crests this week, but the National Weather Service said the risk of spring flooding will continue for the next several weeks.

The moderate flooding prediction comes two years after historic flooding throughout many of far western Kentucky's river counties.

NWS Meteorologist Rachel Trevino in Paducah said rainfall and snow north of western Kentucky and southern Illinois along with future storm cells could all contribute to the rising river levels.

“The flooding going on up north of us due to rainfall and the snow packs and stuff probably will kind of affect us down in this area probably in the next two or three weeks," she said. " It will take that long for that water to get down here.”

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources officials say flooding has temporarily closed the Ballard Wildlife Management Area.

Wildlife Regional Coordinator Tony Black says there are "safety concerns" about road travel due to recent rains. Black says staff began checking for visitors today and would close the entrance gates after the property has been vacated.