Heavy rain has pushed rivers across northeast Iowa toward record or near-record crests.
Multiple Flood Warnings are in effect from the Quad Cities area north into the Driftless region, with the Turkey River at Garber forecast to top its previous record.
Quad Cities Area: Flash Flood Warning Expires, Flood Watch Continues
The NWS Quad Cities office let a Flash Flood Warning expire Saturday morning for northeastern Jackson, Dubuque, Jo Daviess and Stephenson counties.
The torrential rain that triggered it has ended, but forecasters warn the ground is now very sensitive to additional flooding if more storms develop later Saturday and overnight.
A Flood Watch remains in effect until 7 AM CDT Sunday for parts of northwest Illinois and Iowa. Drivers are asked to keep heeding road closures that are still in place.
Clayton County: The Volga River Rises Near Volga and Osborne
The NWS La Crosse office issued a Flood Warning for southwestern Clayton County until 9:15 AM CDT Sunday.
Automated gauges and local law enforcement reported rapid rises along the Volga River Saturday morning, with the rise expected to continue through the afternoon. Additional heavy rain could make it worse.
Volga, Osborne, Mederville, Saint Sebald, Thomasville, Communia, Littleport and Highland are all expected to see flooding.
Fayette County: Turkey and Volga Rivers Swell After 3 to 6 Inches of Rain
NWS La Crosse extended a separate Flood Warning for Fayette County until 7 AM CDT Sunday.
Overnight rainfall of 3 to 6 inches has flooding “imminent or occurring” along the Turkey and Viola rivers, with numerous roads already closed. Another 1 to 3 inches is possible through the evening.
West Union, Fayette, Elgin, Clermont, Maynard, Hawkeye, Arlington, Waucoma, Wadena and Westgate are among the communities affected.
Turkey River at Elkader: Near-Record Crest Forecast
At Elkader, the Turkey River was already at 14.8 feet Saturday morning, well above the 12-foot flood stage.
The river is forecast to keep rising to a crest of 23.2 feet just after midnight, a level that would come close to the previous record crest of 22.9 feet set on August 30, 2021.
Flooding is expected to stay above flood stage into Monday before finally receding late that morning.
Turkey River at Garber: A New Record, and a Levee Under Threat
Downstream at Garber, the outlook is even more serious. The river sat at 9.4 feet Saturday morning but is forecast to surge to a crest of 26.0 feet by Sunday morning.
That would break the previous record crest of 25.6 feet, set on September 23, 2016.
At 26 feet, the earthen levee at nearby Elkport, just upstream of Garber, is directly threatened. Bankfull stage here is 15 feet, meaning the river is forecast to run more than 11 feet over its banks.
Overnight Flooding Continues Downstream
The same system brought a rough night across southeast Minnesota and southwest Wisconsin, with Flash Flood Warnings for Spring Valley, Preston, Harmony, Chatfield, Rushford, Grand Meadow, Viroqua, Westby and Stoddard all continuing into the early morning hours.
Warnings were still being extended into the early morning hours, a sign the ground simply couldn’t absorb any more water.
What Residents Should Do
Motorists should never drive around barricades or attempt to drive through flooded roads. It takes surprisingly little moving water to sweep a vehicle away.
Anyone near the Turkey or Volga rivers should stay alert as crests approach, since river levels can keep climbing for hours even after rain stops falling upstream.
Caution is also urged when walking near riverbanks, which can be unstable and prone to sudden collapse during major flooding. Updates on river levels are available at weather.gov/safety/flood.
