Mississippi River Expected to Hit Minor Flood Stage Friday in St. Paul

ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Mississippi River in St. Paul, Minn. is expected to hit minor flood stage by Friday afternoon, forcing precautionary road closures.

One of those streets with a road closed sign is Water Street, where the river is rapidly rising. Because the Mississippi River is now expected to rise two feet higher than originally expected, Shepard Road between Eagle Street and Highway 61 will be added to the closed list. North Sibley Street between Kellogg and Shepard, and Jackson Street between Kellogg and Shepard are also closing.

Hidden Falls and Lilydale parks have been closed, and all coat launches have been closed. Some of the road closures are making way for a temporary levee to protect downtown St. Paul's Lowertown area from flooding.

When the river hits 17 feet, St. Paul plans to close by both Harriet Island and Raspberry Island parks. The Mississippi River isn't expected to crest at 20 feet until sometime Wednesday morning.

On the river, the St. Paul Yacht Club has been moving 40 boats to higher ground. The yacht club hasn't moved boats due to a flood threat since 2001.

Friday afternoon, the Minnesota DNR closed Ft. Snelling State park, which is flanked by the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, in response to rising water levels. The park will remain closed until further notice.

West of the Twin Cities, residents of Delano are watching the Crow River , which is quickly approaching its second-highest crest in recorded history. City crews have built a concrete barrier to keep the Crow River from invading several downtown businesses, while volunteers were reinforcing the levee with sandbags Friday afternoon.

"It's necessary at this point to prevent the flooding on businesses and residences," Delano Mayor Joe McDonald said. "The water at this point, we believe, will be right up to the top of that temporary berm."