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Mississippi River flooding in St. Louis expected to stabilize

Looking west from Illinois at downtown St. Louis over a very high Mississippi River on July 1, 2011. The river is not expected to flood any higher this weekend, and should crest at just four feet above flood stage on July 2.
(Rachel Lippmann/St. Louis Public Radio)
Looking west from Illinois at downtown St. Louis over a very high Mississippi River on July 1, 2011. The river is not expected to flood any higher this weekend, and should crest at just four feet above flood stage on July 2.

Flooding along the Mississippi River has forced the relocation of parts of this weekend's Fair St. Louis, but - good news - the water isn't expected to get any higher.

The river is expected to crest at 34 feet in St. Louis tomorrow - just four feet above flood stage.

And Army Corps St. Louis district commander Tom O'Hara says that takes into account the water still flowing into the Missouri River from dams in North and South Dakota and Montana.

"What we anticipate is that we're going to have a pretty quick drop off of the crest here after it passes," O'Hara said. "Again, all that could change if we get additional high-intensity rain events."

The weather forecast for the weekend includes a chance of thunderstorms - but mostly just expected to be hot, with high temperatures in the 90s.

Rachel is the justice correspondent at St. Louis Public Radio.