A second crest from snowmelt to the north of the Quad Cities is now working down the Mississippi River this week as water levels continue to rise.
Pockets of heavy rainfall Monday night from showers and thunderstorms added up to more than an inch at the Quad City International Airport in Moline with the rain gauge picking up 1.09". This heavy rain also caused some street flooding along River drive in Moline as the rain fell in a short period of time. With this recent rainfall, our moisture amount is now above-average for the month of April by nearly an inch.
Enough runoff also flowed into the Mississippi River to cause a quick jump in river levels, rising from 18.1 feet to 19.2 feet in just a matter of hours. This is a good example as to how vulnerable the river remains to heavy rain events and why we'll need to keep a close eye on the pattern in the coming weeks.
The next crest is expected to be very similar to the crest we observed in early April. Currently, the National Weather Service projects the Mississippi River in the Quad Cities to rise to levels between 20 and 21 feet. Flood stage is 15 feet. The previous crest a few weeks ago occurred at 20.68 feet. The one wildcard that remains in play with this crest forecast is the probability for additional heavy rainfall. All of the snowpack to our north has completely melted and that is the water that is currently flowing down with this crest.
The pattern that begins this weekend and into next week is a busy one. A stationary boundary looks to set up shop in the region which will send several waves of energy and moisture rolling in from the west. Widespread showers and thunderstorms arrive on Saturday with a bit of a break by Sunday. The storm train resumes early next week with more chances for showers and storms. Models indicate the potential for at least another inch by Monday morning which will likely further increase the crest a bit more. We'll continue tracking this in the days ahead.
Meteorologist Andrew Stutzke
Download the News 8 Weather App — for iOS, click here and for Android, click here
Download the free News 8 App — for iOS, click here and for Android, click here