Mississippi River set for quick rise in Cape Girardeau this week

In a year that has seen everything from floods to drought, ice storms to heat waves, one last round of weather woes should come as no surprise.

Weekend storms brought heavy rain to much of Missouri. Combined with snow melt, that's causing minor flooding along some rivers, including the Mississippi. No significant damage is reported or expected.

The Mississippi is cresting slightly above flood stage by Wednesday in Hannibal and Clarksville. At Cape Girardeau, the Misssissippi is expected to crest just below flood stage on Friday. The National Weather Service predicts that the river will reach 31.5 feet on the Cape Girardeau gauge by Friday morning, or about six inches below flood stage.

The predicted level at Cape Girardeau would be a rise of 17 feet since Sunday morning. The stage at 10 a.m. Monday was 22 feet.

Still, some areas are under flood warnings. The Grand River reached more than 6 feet above flood stage in Chillicothe, and nearly 9 feet above flood stage in nearby Sumner. By New Year's Day, the river should be back within its banks.

Meanwhile, cleanup continues after storms and tornadoes damaged several buildings on Saturday.