Update on River Flooding & Safety Tips

Good Morning Stateline! We kick off the morning with flood warnings for a majority of the rivers across the Stateline. This includes the Pecatonica, Kishwaukee, The Rock, and the Mississippi out west. These flood warnings will be in effect until futher notice.

Take a look at the Rock River in downtown, Beloit, Wisconsin using our Mercyhealth skycam. You can see the raging river waters just barely missing the bottom of that bridge. Similar scenes can be seen with other Rivers across the Stateline this morning.

 

After a week of heavy rain events and above average temperatures, many of the rivers as of this morning are are moderate flood stage. By the start of next week, we could see the Pecatonica and Rock Rivers push into a major flood stage. And it could also be record breaking.

What you see here is called a Hydrograph. This is what the National Weather Service use when they are observing river levels. And the height of the river is put into 4 categoies:

1. Action

2. Minor

3. Moderate

4. Major

The Rock River in Latham Park was observed at 12.8' this morning. It's record crest of 14.3' is in jeopardy as this part of the river is predicted to be at or just peek over the record at 14.4. So if you live in this area, make sure you have a plan set just in case flooding impacts your area.

Next, we have the Pecatonica River out in Shirland. This part of the river was observed at 15.2' this morning and is forecasted to rise up to 17.5' by the start of next week. Coming just short of the record crest of 18.1'.

 

Here are a few flodd safety tips to keep in mind when dealing with a flooded roadway. Do not attempt to drive through the flooded road. One foot of water can float most vehicles and 2 feet of rushing water can carry most vehicles including SUV's. Turn around, don't drown, and find an alternate route to your destination.

Have a plan in place, and make sure you have a place to go to if your home is impacted by a flood. You want to make sure that you provide the most safety for not only you, but for the people around you!