The Mississippi River is expected to reach minor to moderate flood levels in Wisconsin this weekend.
The National Weather Service expects the river to crest at 13.5 feet on Sunday in La Crosse. That’s 1.5 feet above flood stage. Communities downstream will likely see the river crest at minor flood levels early next week.
“We’ve just been in a very, very wet pattern, with several rounds of showers and thunderstorms moving through the area,” said NWS meteorologist Clint Aegerter. “Unfortunately, it looks like we’re kind of sticking in this pattern into next week as well. So just a lot of rain keeping the soils wet and allowing all that rain to run into the rivers.”
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Aegerter said it’s had to say if any of the forecast storms will be heavy enough to cause flash flooding along smaller waterways.
But even if the weather breaks this weekend, Wisconsin residents likely won’t be able to enjoy Memorial Day on the river.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has closed many of their boat launches because of high water.
Mary Stefanski, Winona district manager for the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge, said the river just isn’t a safe place to be this weekend.
“We don’t know if logs have come in or if there’s other submerged hazards that have been floated in on the landings and just in general out on the Mississippi River. And if people are looking for beaches, they’re all underwater right now,” Stefanski said.
Because water levels on the Mississippi have remained high since initial flooding in March, Stefanski said trees along the main channel have been saturated and will add even more debris.
“You get all of the things that are getting flushed out of the backwaters like logs and unfortunately litter like barrels and things like that,” Stefanski said. “They often are just below the surface of the water when they’re moving down river and you don’t see them.”
Stefanski said most refuge locations are still open to walking traffic or fishing from the banks.
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