The Mississippi River flood approached a crest — and the crisis — in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area Saturday.
The Weather Bureau reported the icy waters are likely to pass their peak in the Twin Cities on Easter Sunday.
Freezing cold during the night checked the runoff from melting snow and ice. But the wintry chill and snow increased the discomfort of volunteer workers who faced the prospects of spending Easter on duty in shoreline mud.
The Mississippi, at record levels in the north, was edging up all the way from Minnesota to Missouri.
Overflows have driven an estimated 35,000 persons from their homes and have caused 12 deaths and millions of dollars in property losses.
Temperatures that dipped below the freezing level during the nights in Minnesota held back the rush of flood waters from areas north of the Twin Cities. The slackening allowed some of the excess waters to drain away. That resulted in a revision of the crest forecast.
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Joseph Strub, Weather Bureau flood expert, said the Mississippi will fluctuate within three to five inches of Saturday’s levels in the Twin Cities sector for a day or two, and is likely to start to drop Monday. Earlier, the crest had been forecast for Tuesday. The Mississippi was a foot below predicted high marks Saturday in both cities.
St. Paul has been regarded as the most critical flood point for somewhat the same reason. The constant, prolonged pressure of tons of water tends to weaken retaining walls. As much as six feet of water stood in lowland areas there. Some industries and a city airport have been closed.
The Mississippi rose beyond the 16-foot marks in La Crosse — far above the old high water marks of 15.3 — and kept on climbing.
“We’re diked for a 20-foot crest, and pray that will hold it,” commented Mayor-elect Warren Loveland.
Stillwater depended upon a bulwark called “condike.” That’s because convicts from the state prison farm helped build the dikes. Businesses there have shut down.
Men worked in light snow during the night in Hudson, Wis., below Stillwater on the St. Croix, to rear dikes to shield an industrial firm and the community sewage disposal plant.
The Weather Bureau reported the Mississippi was dropping in St. Cloud, Minn., upstream from the Twin Cities. It also said such tributaries as the Minnesota and Crow rivers were falling.
Dike building was put on a 24-hour basis in Prairie du Chien, Wis., on the Mississippi below La Crosse. Several waterfront streets there have been closed by high water.
