Midwestern rivers are on the rise again, the result of another round of heavy rain. And with more rain in the forecast, the National Weather Service expects a spike in water levels at many places.
Parts of the central U.S. are expected to see 3 inches of rain or more this week. The Mississippi and Missouri rivers and their tributaries are already flooding, and soil is saturated, so that additional water will only make flooding worse.
The weather service on Tuesday said it expects the Missouri and Illinois rivers in particular to be impacted by the rain. The Missouri River is expected to rise around 4 feet by Friday at Atchison, Kansas, and St. Joseph, Missouri, and by 5 1/2 feet by Sunday at Boonville, Missouri.
The Illinois River is expected to reach a record high at Valley City, Illinois, by Sunday, and get to near-record levels at several other spots in western Illinois.
The new crests will mostly impact agricultural land and force additional road closures.
The good news is that the forecast calls for mostly dry weather for several days starting late this week.