Heavy to Excessive Rainfall in the Southeast U.S.; Critical Fire Weather in the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest

A slow-moving storm system will continue to produce widespread heavy showers and thunderstorms which may bring excessive rainfall and flooding as it tracks across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions today into Wednesday. Gusty winds and dry fuels under potential record setting temperatures will support widespread critical fire weather in the northern Plains and Upper Midwest today. Read More >

Overview

Significant flooding occurred across eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois, and northeast Missouri during Spring 2019. Moderate to Major flooding was observed on most Iowa and Illinois tributary rivers due to snowmelt, frozen ground, ice jams, saturated soils, and rainfall from March 9th-12th and again in late April/early May. The higher crests occurred on the Rock and Pecatonica Rivers in Illinois, and on the Skunk, English, Cedar, Wapsipinicon, and Maquoketa Rivers in Iowa. Most of these rivers crested during the 2nd and 3rd weeks of March and again in early May.

Significant flooding also occurred on the mainstem Mississippi largely due to the snowmelt in Minnesota and Wisconsin, frozen ground, rainfall in early March, and saturated soils. Major flooding was observed at all sites along the Mississippi and ALL sites saw one of their top 5 crests on record. The Quad Cities river gauge at Rock Island Lock and Dam, broke its all-time record flood crest in 1993, with a preliminary crest of 22.70 ft. This flooding had numerous impacts, with many roads, businesses, homes, and people affected.

Mississippi River on 3/25/19 - Davenport, IA Photo: Steve Toft (QC Drone)


Mississippi River Flooding in Davenport IA - March 25th Video: Steve Toft (QC Drone)	Illinois City Lock and Dam 16 - April 8th Photo: Nick Schnerre	Freeport IL - March 17th Photo: Stephenson County EMA

Flooding
Factors to Flooding
Photos & Video
Crest Information
Additional Information

Flooding

All rivers in eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois, and northeast Missouri experienced flooding in the Spring, with many sites seeing moderate to major flooding. The Rock River experienced its highest levels since 2013; Cedar River highest levels since 2016; and the Maquoketa River highest levels since 2014. Many sites on the tributary rivers saw a Top 10 crest on record. The mainstem Mississippi saw its highest levels since 2014 and all points had a Top 5 crest. All data is preliminary until verified by the USGS and USACE. The Mississippi River in the Quad Cities also had a temporary levee breach on April 30th, which resulted in many businesses, parking lots, and cars becoming overwhelmed with rising water. Click here for a write up of this breach.

Jump to River: Mississippi Wapsipinicon Cedar Iowa English Skunk Des Moines Pecatonica Rock Green La Moine

Maquoketa River


Manchester	Maquoketa

Wapsipinicon River


Independence	Anamosa	De Witt - Early April	De Witt - Early May

Cedar River


Vinton	Palo	Cedar Rapids	Cedar Bluff


Conesville

Iowa River


Marengo	Lone Tree	Columbus Jct	Wapello Crest #1


Wapello Crest #2	Oakville Crest #1	Oakville Crest #2	Oakville - Early May

English River


Kalona

Skunk River


Sigourney	Augusta Crest #1	Augusta Crest #2	Augusta - Early May

Des Moines River


St. Francisville	St. Francisville - Early May

Pecatonica River


Freeport

Rock River


Como	Joslin	Joslin - Early May	Moline


Moline - Early May

Green River


Geneseo - Early May

La Moines River


Colmar - Early May

Mississippi River

Highest Crest occurred in late April (see below for additional crests)


Dubuque LD 11	Dubuque Railroad Bridge	Bellevue LD 12	Fulton LD 13


Camanche	Le Claire LD 14	Rock Island LD 15	Illinois City LD 16


Muscatine	New Boston LD 17	Keithsburg	Gladstone LD 18


Burlington	Keokuk LD 19	Gregory Landing

Secondary Crests


Dubuque LD 11 - Early April	Dubuque Railroad Bridge - Early April	Bellevue LD 12 - Early April	Fulton LD 13 - Early April


Camanche - Early April	Le Claire LD 14 - Early April	Rock Island LD 15 - Early April	Illinois City LD 16 - Early April


Muscatine - Early April	New Boston LD 17 - Early April	Keithsburg - Early April	Gladstone LD 18 - Early April


Burlington - Early April	Keokuk LD 19 - Early April	Gregory Landing - Early April


Le Claire LD 14 - Crest 1	Rock Island LD 15 - Crest 1	Rock Island LD 15 - Crest 2	Illinois City LD 16 - Crest 1


Illinois City LD 16 - Crest 2	Muscatine - Crest 1	Muscatine - Crest 2	New Boston LD 17 - Crest 1


New Boston LD 17 - Crest 2	Keithsburg - Crest 1	Keithsburg - Crest 2	Gladstone - Crest 1


Burlington - Crest 1	Burlington - Crest 2	Keokuk LD 19 - Crest 1	Gregory Landing - Crest 1

Factors that led to major and historic flooding:

Above normal snowfall during Winter 2018-2019
High snow water equivalent
Saturated Soils (High soil moisture content)
Deep Frozen ground
High streamflows from Fall 2018


Winter 2018-2019 Snowfall Analysis	February 21st, 2019 Snow Depth	February 21st, 2019 Snow Water Equivalent


December 1st, 2018 - February 28st, 2019 Accumulated Precipitation Percent of Mean	February 20th, 2019 Soil Moisture Percentile	February 21st, 2019 Frost Depth


February 21st, 2019 Streamflow - Courtesy USGS	Average Streamflow on Upper Mississippi last 45 days	Probabilisitc Flood Outlook - >25% chance of exceeding flood level


Heavy Rain April 27th - May 3rd, 2019

Links
Spring Flood Outlook Page Flood Outlook Text Product

Photos & Video

Mississippi River


Dubuque, IA (NWS Survey)	Princeton, IA (NWS Survey)	LeClaire, IA (NWS Survey)	LeClaire, IA (NWS Survey)

Davenport, IA (NWS Survey)	Davenport, IA (NWS Survey)	Davenport, IA (NWS Survey)	Davenport, IA Concord St (NWS Survey)

Pecatonica River


McConnell. IL (Photo: Stephenson County EMA)	Orangeville, IL (Photo: Stephenson County EMA)	Winslow, IL (Photo: Stephenson County EMA)	Freeport, IL (Photo: Stephenson County EMA)

Freeport, IL (Photo: Lt. Tom Korte)	Freeport, IL (Photo: Lt. Tom Korte)	Freeport, IL (Photo: Lt. Tom Korte)	Freeport, IL (Photo: Lt. Tom Korte)

Iowa River


Koszta, IA (Photo: Iowa County EMA)

Wapsipinicon River


Teachers Park - Independence, IA (Buchanan county EMA)	Teachers Park - Independence, IA (Buchanan county EMA)	Independence, IA (Buchanan county EMA)	Independence, IA (Buchanan county EMA)

Independence, IA (Buchanan county EMA)	Independence, IA (Buchanan county EMA)	210th St Wintrop, IA (Buchanan county EMA)

Crest Information

Summary of Area Rivers
River	Location	Flood Stage	Record Stage	Actual Crest (Preliminary)
Mississippi River	Dubuque LD 11 (DLDI4)	16.0 ft	25.69 ft on 04/26/1965	21.77 ft. on 04/27/2019 (4th highest crest on record)
				21.22 ft. on 04/06/2019 (tied for 9th highest crest on record)
	Dubuque (DBQI4)	17.0 ft	26.81 ft on 04/26/1965	23.18 ft. on 04/27/2019 (4th highest crest on record)
				22.65 ft. on 04/06/2019 (tied for 9th highest crest on record)
	Bellevue LD12 (BLVI4)	17.0 ft	23.51 ft on 04/26/1965	20.87 ft. on 04/29/2019 (4th highest crest on record)
				20.36 ft. on 04/06/2019 (5th highest crest on record)
	Fulton LD 13 (FLTI2)	16.0 ft	24.75 ft on 04/28/1965	21.77 ft. on 04/30/2019 (4th highest crest on record)
				20.91 ft. on 04/08/2019 (8th highest crest on record)
	Camanche (CMMI4)	17.0 ft	24.65 ft on 04/28/1965	22.77 ft. on 04/30/2019 (4th highest crest on record)
				21.91 ft. on 04/08/2019 (6th highest crest on record)
	Le Claire LD 14 (LECI4)	11.0 ft	17.75 ft on 04/28/1965	16.50 ft. on 05/02/2019 (4th highest crest on record)
				15.14 ft. on 04/08/2019 (5th highest crest on record)
	Rock Island LD 15 (RCKI2)	15.0 ft	22.63 ft on 07/09/1993	22.70 ft. on 05/02/2019 (HIGHEST crest on record)
				20.68 ft. on 04/08/2019 (9th highest crest on record)
	Illinois City LD 16 (ILNI2)	15.0 ft	24.10 ft on 07/09/1993	23.23 ft. on 05/03/2019 (3rd highest crest on record)
				20.83 ft. on 04/10/2019 (6th highest crest on record)
	Muscatine (MUSI4)	16.0 ft	25.61 ft on 07/09/1993	24.33 ft. on 05/03/2019 (4th highest crest on record)
				21.95 ft. on 04/10/2019 (7th highest crest on record)
	New Boston LD 17 (NBOI2)	15.0 ft	25.90 ft on 07/09/1993	23.59 ft. on 05/03/2019 (4th highest crest on record)
				21.04 ft. on 04/10/2019 (10th highest crest on record)
	Keithsburg (KHBI2)	14.0 ft	24.49 ft on 06/17/2008	21.97 ft. on 05/03/2019 (4th highest crest on record)
				19.17 ft. on 04/10/2019 (11th highest crest on record)
	Gladstone LD 18 (GLDI2)	10.0 ft	22.46 ft on 06/17/2008	19.67 ft. on 05/03/2019 (4th highest crest on record)
				16.30 ft. on 04/10/2019 (10th highest crest on record)
	Burlington (BRLI4)	15.0 ft	25.73 ft on 06/17/2008	23.54 ft. on 05/03/2019 (4th highest crest on record)
				20.41 ft. on 04/10/2019 (10th highest crest on record)
	Keokuk LD 19 (EOKI4)	16.0 ft	27.58 ft on 07/10/1993	23.50 ft. on 05/02/2019 (tied 3rd highest crest on record)
				19.78 ft. on 04/11/2019
	Gregory Landing (GGYM7)	15.0 ft	28.49 ft on 07/09/1993	25.16 ft. on 05/03/2019 (3rd highest crest on record)
				20.92 ft. on 04/11/2019

Maquoketa River	Manchester (MCHI4)	14.0 ft	24.48 ft on 07/24/2010	17.71 ft. on 03/15/2019 (9th highest crest on record)
Maquoketa River	Maquoketa (MAQI4)	24.0 ft	35.26 ft on 07/26/2016	32.41 ft. on 03/15/2019 (4th highest crest on record)

Wapsipinicon River	Independence (IDPI4)	12.0 ft	22.35 ft on 05/18/1999	13.37 ft on 03/15/2019
	Anamosa (ANSI4)	14.5 ft	26.18 ft on 06/13/2008	19.37 ft. on 03/18/2019 (7th highest crest on record)
	De Witt (DEWI4)	11.0 ft	14.32 ft on 07/02/2014	13.21 ft on 03/14/2019

Cedar River	Vinton (VINI4)	15.0 ft	24.70 ft on 06/12/2008	17.72 ft. on 03/17/2019 (9th highest crest on record)
	Palo (PLOI4)	12.5 ft	23.22 ft on 06/13/2008	15.38 ft. on 03/18/2019 (4th highest crest on record)
	Cedar Rapids (CIDI4)	12.0 ft	31.12 ft on 06/13/2008	18.32 ft. on 03/20/2019 (9th highest crest on record)
	Cedar Bluff (CEBI4)	16.0 ft	24.70 ft on 09/28/2016	21.47 ft on 03/20/2019
	Conesville (CNEI4)	13.0 ft	23.40 ft on 06/15/2008	16.43 ft. on 03/20/2019

Iowa River	Marengo (MROI4)	15.0 ft	21.38 ft on 06/12/2008	18.83 ft. on 03/17/2019 (10th highest crest on record)
	Lone Tree (LNTI4)	16.0 ft	23.10 ft on 06/15/2008	19.10 ft. on 03/15/2019 (8th highest crest on record)
	Columbus Junction (CJTI4)	23.0 ft	32.30 ft on 06/15/2008	24.21 ft. on 03/21/2019 (9th highest crest on record)
	Wapello (WAPI4)	21.0 ft	32.15 ft on 06/14/2008	26.47 ft on 03/21/2019
	Oakville (OKVI4)	11.0 ft	23.22 ft on 06/14/2008	15.72 ft on 03/22/2019

English River	Kalona (KALI4)	14.0 ft	22.55 ft on 07/06/1993	19.89 ft on 03/15/2019

Skunk River	Sigourney (SIGI4)	16.0 ft	25.93 ft on 05/28/2013	23.01 ft. on 03/16/2019 (9th highest crest on record)
	Augusta (AGSI4)	15.0 ft	27.05 ft on 04/23/1973	21.37 ft on 03/12/2019

Des Moines River	St. Francisville (SFLM7)	18.0 ft	32.02 ft on 07/15/1993	20.76 ft on 03/30/2019

Pecatonica River	Freeport (FEEI2)	13.0 ft	19.76 ft on 03/16/1929	17.26 ft. on 03/18/2019 (9th highest crest on record)

Rock River	Como (CMOI2)	12.5 ft	15.65 ft on 07/23/2017	15.20 ft. on 03/16/2019 (2nd highest crest on record)
	Joslin (JOSI2)	12.0 ft	19.24 ft on 06/07/2002	18.51 ft. on 03/16/2019 (6th highest crest on record)
				15.22 ft. on 05/03/2019
	Moline (MLII2)	12.0 ft	16.53 ft on 04/21/2013	15.72 ft. on 03/17/2019 (5th highest crest on record)
				15.36 ft. on 05/03/2019 (8th highest crest on record)

Green River	Geneseo (GENI2)	15.0 ft	18.77 ft on 10/18/1998	17.12 ft. on 05/01/2019 (10th highest crest on record)

La Moines River	Colmar (CLMI2)	20.0 ft	28.94 ft on 04/19/2013	22.45 ft. on 05/03/2019