Mississippi River At Quad Cities Could Be At Major Flood Stage Pretty Soon

We could run into issues with the Mississippi River level fairly soon.

We've told you about the National Weather Service's flood outlooks for the river at Rock Island for this spring. With each one, it's looking more and more likely that the river will flood but how much and if it could get bad is contingent on factors like snow and ice melt from the Upper Mississippi Basin.

If you live in Davenport, you might have also gotten the text from the city about the river level. The river will probably get to minor flood stage in the next few days, specifically April 9-April 11. That would close off a few roads.

As of Friday morning, the river is clearly trending up.

How Bad Could It Get Though?

According to Quad-City Times, National Weather Service Hydrologist Matt Wilson says that there's a 50% chance that flood waters in Davenport could get to 20 feet. As a reference, in the Great Flood of 2019, the river crested at 22.7 feet in Davenport. It's looking like the river could hit major flood stage by late April or early May.

The predictions of major flooding at Lock & Dam 15 at Rock Island have fluctuated in the last several months. In a normal year, it's just at 25%. Not the case in 2023.

• Feb. 9: 25%
• Feb. 23: 69%
• March 9: 82%
• March 24: 67%

What we don't need is more rain in the forecast. If you live or work downtown especially, it's important to pay attention to the river levels now.

You can get more details on how to be prepared for potential flooding in Davenport on the city's website.