Carroll, Whiteside counties brace for Mississippi River flooding

Residents of Savanna were sandbagging the riverfront, while in Fulton the rising Mississippi River passed into flood stage on Saturday.

The National Weather Service in the Quad Cities reported that the water at Fulton was six inches above flood stage — which is set at 16 feet.

The river has been rising since Wednesday, fed by snowmelt and recent heavy rains in Minnesota and Wisconsin, the service said in a flood risk webinar on Friday.

Projections by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers show increased risk of flooding from Dubuque to Davenport.

At Fulton, the water is expected to get to 18 feet — which is moderate-stage flooding — about midday on Sunday.

However, the crest isn’t expected until Friday, April 28, when the water level is expected to be at 20.5 feet, which qualifies as major flooding.

In Savanna, which is 24 miles upriver from Fulton, firefighters, public words employees and volunteers from West Carroll schools have been busy since Friday constructing sandbagging walls.

Explore Savanna, the town’s tourism group, put out the call for volunteers, who are asked to report to the Savanna Fire Department for assignment.

The Savanna Fire Department devoted Friday to building a 750-foot long wall behind the 300 and 400 blocks of Main Street.

“It’s been a very long day for us,” the department reported in a Facebook post.

It said another sandbagging wall was being constructed at the north end of the 500 block.

The fire department also closed the 300 and 400 blocks to allow trucks to deliver sandbags.

The fire department’s post said water levels in Savanna will reach the 20.87-foot level of the 2019 flood by Wednesday.

The water is expected to rise another three to five days after that, according to the post.

Throughout this, temperatures have been unseasonably cold. There is a freeze watch in effect for the weekend. The Clinton, Iowa, Municipal Airport reported light rain and Saturday morning temps at 37 degrees. Overnight it will dip below 31 degrees with a slight chance of snow on Sunday.