Mark Twain Lake receding

HANNIBAL -- Mark Twain Lake is beginning to slowly decline, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers isn't breathing easy yet, saying another big storm could subject the area to more flooding.

The man-made lake in northeast Missouri had risen to record levels this week.

Corps spokesman George Stringham says all it takes is one big storm to get things back to where they were a few days ago.

The weather service says it should stay dry through most of the weekend and into the first part of the week.

This week, the corps steadily increased the water release rate through the Clarence Cannon Dam.

After watching the lake level jump 17 feet last weekend, the corps began releasing water through the dam and taking steps to protect the electrical switch yard and power house at the dam.