Wind gusts could add erosion risk to Mississippi River flooding

Wind gusts are likely to arrive just as the Mississippi River crests at points along northwestern Illinois, raising concerns about erosion, the National Weather Service said in a webinar on Friday.

The forecast calls for falling temperatures — from the low 60s on Saturday to the mid-40s on Sunday. Along with some additional rain, winds should gust up to 45 mph on the main channel of the river.

“Wind-created waves on the main stem could cause shore erosion,” said Matt Wilson, senior service hydrologist for the Quad Cities station.

The service also said that high water on the Mississippi is backing up smaller creeks and tributaries.

The service is monitoring the Rock River and the Iowa River. Water levels have risen — 11 feet on the Rock at Moline and 9.6 feet on the Iowa at Oakville. Forecasts do not show the water rising to flood stage for either stream, however.

The Mississippi is expected to crest at the railroad bridge in Dubuque, Iowa, at about 24.4 feet either late Saturday or early Sunday.

Downstream at Fulton, the water was observed to be at 21.53 feet on noon Friday. The crest is expected to be at 22.3 feet sometime between Sunday and Monday.

Should the water reach that high, it will be the third-highest water rise at that location in recorded history, surpassing the 22.17 feet from the July 8, 1993, flood.

The water levels are not expected to recede until Wednesday, May 3, at the earliest.

The Illinois Department of Transportation has closed a section of Illinois Route 84 between Palmer Road and Garden Plain Road near Albany. It is expected to remain closed through the end of May.

Near Andalusia, Illinois Route 92 is closed from Route 192 to 140th Street West.

In Savanna, Route 84 remains open thanks to a sandbag wall residents and volunteers erected a week ago. Two city streets west of the sandbag wall were under water. As of Thursday, water was lapping at the embankments for Burlington Northern and Santa Fe rail lines.

The Mississippi reached 23.31 feet in the April 2001 flood. The devastating April 1965 flood was the worst on record, when the river reached a pre-levee level of 24.75 feet.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Rock Island District has been activated for a flood event since April 10 for its control areas on the Upper Mississippi. It has made assessments in four states, nine counties, 25 communities and inspected 119 miles of levels.

The Corps has established seven staging areas, closed 16 of 19 recreation areas and seven of 12 locks.