Flood warning issued for Mississippi River at Fulton

The National Weather Service changed its flooding forecast from moderate to major severity on Thursday for the Mississippi River in the vicinity of Fulton.

The flood warning affects Whiteside and Carroll counties on the Illinois side and Clinton on the Iowa side.

At noon Thursday, the water level was at 15 feet and rising. The river is expected to rise above flood stage – which is 16 feet – sometime Friday and continue rising to 20.2 feet by next week.

“Our message this spring has been that the severity of flooding will be determined by the pace of the snowmelt, and any additional heavy precipitation events,” said Matt Wilson, senior service hydrologist at NWS station in Davenport, Iowa. “Significant precipitation did occur recently in the upper portion of the Mississippi basin, and that has pushed the crest forecast higher.”

The service said major flooding is expected at points along the Mississippi from Dubuque to Burlington.

Flood warnings also were extended for other points along the Mississippi River, including Camache affecting Whiteside, at Bellevue affecting Jo Daviess and Carroll, and at Dubuque affecting Jo Daviess.

Caution is urged when walking near riverbanks and motorists are warned not to try to drive around barricades or through flooded areas.

The service said that at Rock Island Dam 15, the river is expected to crest in the 21-foot to 23-foot range during the early part of May. The record crest is 22.7 feet in 2019.