OHIO R. BEGINS FALLING; WORRIES REMAIN

The worst flooding in Southern Illinois in 60 years is on the way out, with the Ohio River having crested at 56.1 feet at Cairo, Ill., Sunday morning, 16.1 feet over flood stage.

Even with an expected smattering of rain on Tuesday, river levels should continue falling, said meteorologist David Humphrey of the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky.

The Ohio broadens at Cairo, where it feeds into the Mississippi. Severe flooding south should not be a problem for Missouri and points south because the Mississippi is wider than the Ohio and can accommodate more water.

"It will be at or above flood stage with some flooding on the Mississippi, but it won't be what you saw with the record flooding on the Ohio," Humphrey said.

The Mississippi River is expected to crest Tuesday in Cape Girardeau at 35 feet, compared with the flood stage of 32 feet.

Illinois has not had flooding like this since 1937. The last time it was even close was in 1963, Humphrey said.

U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Tom Tarrants said he's not looking forward to June and July when the ice will have melted in the Dakotas and Minnesota.

"We're a little worried if it all melts real quick," Tarrants said. "If it's a gradual warmup it won't be too bad."

Jack Burns, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in St. Louis, said there is a moderate to high flood potential for the Mississippi River, with crests expected in April.

Burns said in a prepared summary that the upper river basins have seen some melt-off but also have accumulated snow to replace what has melted. Snow depths of one to two-and-a-half feet have been reported in the Dakotas and northwestern Iowa and two to three feet in northern Minnesota.

Burns is calling for crests of a few feet to several feet above flood stage along the Mississippi, but levels should stay below record stages. Burns said that could change if temperatures rise quickly and cause a sudden melt-off.

The Weather Service is calling for above normal temperatures in the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri over the next six to 10 days. Precipitation should be above normal as well in North Dakota but below normal precipitation is projected for the rest of the upper river basin.

A record-breaking rainfall, in excess of 10 inches in 24 hours, occurred in Louisville in early March. Heavy rain through the Ohio and Tennessee valleys contributed to the early flood of the Ohio River.

According to the National Weather Service:

-- Many areas of the Ohio River have experienced the worst flooding in 30 years. A major storm system that came up from Arkansas dumped as much as 3 inches of water on already flooded areas last week. The river did not rise noticeably from the rain but flooding will be prolonged.

-- The Ohio River crested at 56.3 feet Saturday in Cairo, Ill. That is the fourth-highest crest ever and 16.3 feet above flood stage. Barge loading has stopped and serious flooding is expected in Dog Tooth Bend.

-- Grand Chain, Ill., had its second-highest crest on record Saturday at 58 feet, 16 feet over flood stage. This stage is second only to the Great Flood of 1937.

-- The Ohio crested at Paducah, Ky., at 51.6 feet, the highest level since Feb. 13, 1950, and the sixth highest on record.

-- The flood forced hundreds of families from their homes between Evansville, Ind., and Cairo.

-- Three counties along the Ohio -- McCraken, Livingston and Union in Kentucky -- were declared federal disaster areas.

-- U.S. 60 in Livingston County, Ky., U.S. 51 south of Wickliffe, Ky., and the bridge from Wickliffe to Cairo were all closed due to flooding.

-- A 41-year-old man drowned in a swollen creek in Muhlenberg County.

-- Harold Cailteux, 65, of Clifton, Ill., was swept away by fast-moving flood waters along Interstate 55 south of Sikeston March 1.

The weather service is warning residents near creeks and streams to remain alert to rising water as the expected heavy rain could cause flood problems.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.