Mississippi County officially received 3.62 inches of precipitation April 2 and 3 at the airport on Highway 105.

That is a total of 10.29 inches since March 18 when the storms with "heavy rains" began - less than three weeks ago.

The rain last week, added to the precipitation that fell the week before, has created massive flooding in Mississippi County.

Wyatt, Wilson City, East Prairie, Bertrand and Anniston all have suffered damages to homes and businesses, schools had trouble picking up students with flooded roads in the county, and let out early in both Charleston and East Prairie when sewer systems started to back up.

Wildlife - deer and turkey - have sought high ground to get out of the water. We have received reports of herds of deer, 50 to 100 strong, in portions of the south end of the county.

We have seen turkeys displaced by the water in the north end of the county.

More storms, some of them potentially with "heavy rains", as well as the possibility of an isolated tornado, are in the forecast for this week.

Another system is coming through on Thursday.

The Corps of Engineers is back in Phase II floodfight mode with the rivers so high.

The Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau crested at 41.04 March 24 after the massive rains this part of Missouri received on March 18 and 19. Flood stage is 32 feet at Cape.

It then went down to just below flood stage to 31.56 on March 31 before going back up to 36.34 on April 4 after the rains last week.

As of Tuesday, the stage at Cape was 33.9, down 1 foot, and was supposed to go down to 31.6 by Thursday, before edging back up to another crest of 33.5’.

At Cairo, the Ohio River Tuesday was at 52.0 feet, steady, cresting for the second time now. The first crest was 53.89 on March 25.

With increased discharges from Kentucky and Barkley Dams to begin to lower the headwater elevations in the lakes, the Ohio was expected to stay right around 51.5 feet for five days.

Discharges at Kentucky Dam were up to 122,000 cfs Tuesday, and they were expected to discharge 115,000 cfs Wednesday, 107,000 cfs Thursday, 102,000 cfs Friday, then 94,000 cfs and 87,000 cfs.

Barkley Dam was expected to discharge 100,000 cfs for six days.

The lakes are both approximately ten feet above their normal water elevations, right around 365’ mean sea level. They have been holding water from the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers to keep it out of the Ohio River, but when the Corps of Engineers does that, the lake levels rise.

When they increase the discharges to bring the lake levels down, the length of the crest is prolonged.

With all of the rain in the Midwest, the Lower Mississippi River from here south is also now getting into flood trouble.

As of Tuesday, the river was above flood stage all the way south, except for New Orleans itself, and it was expected to reach flood stage in New Orleans on April 16.