SIOUX COUNTY, Iowa (Iowa Media Wire) — Some areas of northern Siouxland are experiencing flooding, leading to some roads being closed.
The NOAA was originally forecasting that the Missouri River in Sioux City would crest at 35.4 feet on June 25 at 1 p.m. This would set a new record cresting point, according to the NOAA.
This prediction has since gone down and is predicted to crest at around 32.5 feet.
Currently, parts of I-29 between Sioux City between Sioux Falls are closed.
According to the Sioux County Sheriff, Garfield Avenue, 2 miles south of Doon, is closed due to flooding.
The County Sheriff is also saying that areas of Highway 18 near Dogwood Avenue and areas of Highway 18 near Highway 75 also may be dangerous or impassable due to flood water. They are advising drivers to use alternative routes if they need to drive in these areas.
In Sioux County, the County Sheriff’s Office said that they are looking for volunteers to help with sandbagging in Hawarden. They are meeting on 7th Street near the dog park.
The Rock River near Rock Valley is expected to crest on the 22nd. It’s currently predicted to crest around 21 feet, 1.7 feet less than the flooding in 2014 and about just short of the crest in 2018.
Akron-Fire Rescue said that the crest near Akron is predicted to be 22 feet and that they will be filling sandbags sometime after lunch.
According to NOAA, this is 3.5 feet less than their peak flooding back in 2015 and will be the highest crest since 2019.
Quick update on the river. As of 9am the crest is still predicted at 22 feet. Right now we will need to plug a couple intakes. We will need to fill a few sand bags sometime after lunch. We are going to try and keep them to a minimum. From some of the information we have received the dikes north of Akron have not been repaired since the last flood. This should lessen some of the issues we had anticipated seeing in Akron. Keep an eye out on our facebook page for more information as we get it.
Akron Fire-Rescue
The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office is advising drivers to be safe and not drive through flooded areas.
Lyon County Emergency Management said that sandbags are available at the Rock Rapids City Shop and will also be available at the City Shop in George sometime today as well.
The City of Spencer, Iowa said that they will have a Sandbag Filling Station available for residents of Clay County North of Pederson Park on 10th Avenue in Spencer.
The Clay County Sheriff said that they had to save a woman near Spencer after he vehicle had gotten stuck in flood water early Friday morning.
According to the NOAA, the Big Sioux River upstream from Canton is at Major Flood Stage.
The South Dakota Highway Patrol said Interstate 29 southbound is closed from Exit 64 to Exit 59 due to flooding. Southbound traffic is being diverted to Highway 17. The South Dakota 511 says drivers should consider an alternate route.
No travel is advised in Lincoln County, South Dakota due to all of the flooding. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said many roads are underwater and will likely not improve, and possibly worsen, due to forecasted rainfall.
In Union County, South Dakota, they are not planning any sandbagging operations. They will be hosting a meeting later Friday morning to discuss anything that needs to be done.
The Turner County, South Dakota Sheriff’s Office is also advising no travel as flood waters cover the roads throughout the county.
We recommend keeping an eye on the NOAA’s Water Prediction Service as the predicted amounts of water are changing regularly. You can view the latest predictions right here.
Stay up-to-date on road conditions
For a specific states’ road conditions, check their individual 511 websites. The websites also have cameras showing road conditions on main roads.