Photo: Chris Turner
Photo: Chris Turner
(Iowa) -- Multiple Iowa communities are dealing with flood waters.
Travel has been discouraged in much of Northwest Iowa throughout the weekend due to flooded roads. The Iowa Department of Transportation has listed dozens of roads closed in Lyon, Sioux, O'Brian, Clay, Emmet, Dickenson, Cherokee, and Plymouth Counties. People in some towns are sheltering in place because of dangerous flooding. Others were evacuated, some by helicopter after their homes were inundated by flooding.
The town of Correctionville in Northwest Iowa opened an emergency shelter Sunday night. The Little Sioux River at Correctionville will crest early Monday morning at a record 31.3 feet, two feet above the old flood record. Correctionville is 30 miles due east of Sioux City, but because of flooded roads it takes an hour to reroute the drive there right now.
The Big Sioux and Missouri Rivers are expected to crest in the coming couple days in Northwest Iowa. The Big Sioux will crest Monday night in major flood stage at Sioux City. The Missouri River will crest in Sioux City Tuesday afternoon. The Missouri River at Omaha is projected to crest in moderate flood stage this Thursday
The West Fork Des Moines River is expected to crest at new record high levels in Northern Iowa. The river at Estherville and Emmetsburg will crest Monday. In Humboldt the West Fork Des Moines River will crest Wednesday. All three locations are setting new record high flood levels.
The Des Moines River will crest in major flood stage at Fort Dodge this Wednesday, but is expected to stay below minor flood stage in Des Moines. To the east, the Mississippi River at the Quad Cities is expected to reach moderate flood stage next weekend.
In eastern Iowa, the Cedar River is rising. It will crest Monday evening in Charles City in major flood stage. It will crest in moderate flood stage Tuesday in Cedar Falls and moderate flood stage in Cedar Rapids Friday. The Cedar River hit major flood stage this weekend in Austin, Minnesota, before dropping.
Pictures by Chris Turner.