Mississippi River crest delayed, raised

Forecasters have revised their prediction for the Mississippi River crest this week in Cape Girardeau, pushing it back a day and raising it by half a foot.

According to the National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky, the river is now expected to crest by Thursday morning at 37 feet, 5 feet above flood stage at Cape Girardeau.

By cresting at 37 feet, the river will reach “moderate” flooding conditions, according to the weather service. Flooding is considered “moderate” anytime it measures between 37 and 42 feet on the Cape Girardeau gage. When the river exceeds 42 feet, it is considered a “major” flood.

The river gage at Cape Girardeau measured about 36.5 feet Monday afternoon, which was the earlier predicted crest. For a brief period over the weekend, the weather service said the river at Cape Girardeau might crest at 37.5 feet, but then revised the crest prediction to 37 feet.

The NWS says the river will begin to fall Friday and should drop below flood stage by the middle of next week.

The Themis Street gate along Cape Girardeau’s downtown floodwall was closed several days ago, but Stan Polivick, director of Cape Girardeau’s Public Works Department, said the Broadway floodgate will probably remain open.

“Based on the current forecast, we shouldn’t need to close the Broadway floodgate,” he said.

The record crest at Cape Girardeau was 48.86 feet Jan. 2, 2016. Last year the river crested at 46.36 feet June 11, which was the fifth-highest crest in the city’s history.

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