The swollen Mississippi River is about to level out.
Just don’t expect it to drop below the moderate flood stage any time soon.
The river, which was sitting at 16.41 feet at 8 p.m. Monday night, March 23, is expected to slowly rise to a crest of 17 feet Friday, March 27.
Barring heavy rain, the river will rise incrementally until March 27. Burlington city workers sprang into action this past Friday (March 20), quickly erecting a wall of sand-filled Hesco barrier that extended the partially complete flood wall.
The river will begin to drop just as slowly as it rose the evening of March 27, dropping to 16.6 feet a week from today, which is about where the river sits now.
The National Weather Service’s flood projection does not extend beyond 7 days.
Photo by Joy Mack
Hesco flood barriers have been erected along Burlington's riverfront as the Mississippi River rises to a crest 17 feet this Friday.