The river continues to rise and is currently at a level of 18.4 feet.  The National Weather Service has consistently held a projected level of 19.5 feet for the last few days.  The crest of the river is currently projected to happen on Friday and last approximately 12 hours.  Once the crest has passed, the National Weather Service is predicting a slow process of the river level lowering.

The last update from the City on Tuesday identified ice jams as the major threat moving forward.  The City has successfully handled previous floods of the same level and there’s no reason to believe the levee and other flood prevention structures are more vulnerable at this time.  Thankfully, Wednesday’s warm weather and high river levels cleared a vast majority of the ice out of the river system.  The City is no longer concerned with ice dams causing major flooding.  As a result, the City will not be taking any action at this time to build a temporary levee downtown or in other potential flooding areas.

Moving forward, the National Weather Service is predicting the City will remain at flood stage for close to a week after Friday’s crest.  High levels of precipitation could lead to a second crest sometime in the coming weeks.  The City will continue to monitor and provide updates as needed.