Despite low water levels, paddlewheeler still to visit Cape Girardeau on Friday

American Countess, a four-deck paddlewheel steamboat, is expected to dock Friday morning, Oct. 21, at Cape Girardeau's riverfront, with its 183 passengers on board despite low water levels on the Mississippi River, according to VisitCape officials.

"The boat company reached out to me (Tuesday) to let us know (the boat) still plans to dock from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday instead of its original time of [noon] to 5 p.m.," said VisitCape's Josh Thompson in an email to the Southeast Missourian.

According to a forecast by the Army Corps of Engineers, the water level at Cape Girardeau was expected to be at no more than 6.7 feet today with possible downward elevations over the weekend.

At Tower Rock in Perry County, the water level was anticipated to be at 0.4 feet today and sightseers have been crossing the Mississippi riverbed on foot for days to visit the tiny island — which is usually accessible only by boat.

"I only remember being able to do this one other time in my life," a Missouri resident visiting the Tower Rock site told CNN earlier this week.

According to U.S. Drought Monitor, more than 55% of the U.S. is currently in drought, impacting an estimated 133 million Americans.

If American Countess is able to tie up in downtown Cape Girardeau, it will be the last of five visits to the city this calendar year.

Countess will not be available for public tours during its stop, a policy riverboat companies have followed since the events of Sept. 11, 2001.