ST. LOUIS -- The Mississippi River is receding at the last of the big flooding trouble spots, but it likely will be months before the full scope of the damage is known.

Information from the National Weather Service showed the river crested at 10.1 feet above flood stage early Friday at Cape Girardeau, and had dropped by one-tenth of a foot by late morning. The river was at 41.9 feet Saturday afternoon. Cape Girardeau was the final river gauge point facing what the weather service characterizes as "major" flooding.

Is the worst of the flooding over on the Mississippi?

"That's certainly what we want to believe," National Weather Service hydrologist Mark Fuchs said.

Rain during the weekend could slow the river's decline, but is unlikely to cause another spike, Fuchs said. Otherwise, the long-term forecast through May offers good news for besieged river towns in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri: below-normal precipitation.

"That will help the rivers head back to where they belong for this time of year," Fuchs said.

Recent heavy rain spurred a sudden rise in the Mississippi and other Midwestern rivers. Along the Mississippi, hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland have been swamped, roads and bridges have been shut down in numerous locations in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri and scattered residents have been evacuated.

Exactly how much damage has occurred won't be known for some time, perhaps months. Mike O'Connell, spokesman for the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency, said damage assessments can't begin until the water recedes, and the river is expected to remain above flood stage well into next month at many locations.

O'Connell said determining damage is a joint operation involving local, state and federal officials.

While the river was receding in northern Missouri, the breach of a small levee Friday between the towns of Foley, Mo., and Winfield, Mo., did cause concern. Lincoln County authorities said the break -- about 150 feet long -- threatened a few homes, and residents in some areas were advised to consider leaving.

Backwater that topped levees at the height of the flood also rose in the same area Friday, flowing into the yards of a few homes.

With water remaining high despite the crests, concern lingered about pressure on dozens of levees big and small. Fuchs said a priority of levee districts will be to give structures a close inspection once the waters recede and expedite repairs.

"Levees take a beating," Fuchs said. "The districts need to get out there and reinforce the problems that floods uncover."