The National Weather Service in Des Moines has issued a Flood Warning for the Raccoon River at Des Moines Fleur Drive, affecting Polk County. As of 9:17 AM CDT Wednesday the river stage was 12.2 feet and rising; flood stage for this location is 12.0 feet.
The NWS forecast calls for the river to crest near 13.4 feet tomorrow morning and then fall below flood stage early tomorrow afternoon. With the river now above flood stage, local impacts are already in place:
- SW 30th Street is closed from George Flagg Parkway to Bell Avenue (reported at a river stage of 13.3 feet).
- George Flagg Parkway is closed from SW 30th Street to SW 28th Street.
The NWS describes the situation as minor flooding occurring with minor flooding forecast to continue until Thursday evening. Officials remind drivers to avoid flooded roads — “turn around, don’t drown” — since most flood deaths happen in vehicles.
For the latest stream observations and forecasts, the NWS directs the public to weather.gov/desmoines/water; those river forecasts include observed precipitation plus forecast precipitation over the next 24 hours.