FOLEY, Mo. — Amid the battle to hold back the Mississippi River, towns in northeastern Missouri and Illinois got an unwelcome surprise Saturday as river levels rose higher than projected.
Recent levee breaks north of Canton, not far from the Iowa line, had allowed the river level to drop there and at other towns far north of St. Louis.
Officials knew the water would rise again to crests during the weekend, and although the amount of the increase caught them off guard, it didn’t make things any worse. Canton residents were keeping a tight watch over the city’s levee, but it continued to hold.
The river reached 26.3 feet Saturday morning at Canton after dipping below 23 feet two days earlier, and it was expected to crest later in the day at 26.4 feet.
Forecasters said Saturday afternoon that the river would crest several inches higher than expected in Hannibal and at Quincy, Ill. The Associated Press
