Flood warnings issued for English, Iowa rivers

KALONA — The National Weather Service has issued flood warnings for the English and Iowa rivers, flowing through northern parts of Washington County.

The warnings, sparked by an ongoing barrage of late-season rainfall, had pushed the English River briefly to a depth of 18 feet by Tuesday night, according to a statement from the NWS station in the Quad Cities, which said the high water led to road closures on 130th Street, Kiwi Avenue, Orange Avenue and Poplar Avenue.

Another update Wednesday afternoon said the river had already reached a stage of 15.8 feet, and that “extensive agricultural land” north of the river was flooded.

The English, which runs through Kalona and Riverside, is expected to crest at a level of 18.4 feet Friday morning, according to the service, which said its flood stage in Kalona is 14 feet. That warning was set to expire Sunday afternoon, as of press time.

On Wednesday morning, NWS issued another statement, shared by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, issuing another flood warning along the Iowa River in Johnson, Washington and Louisa counties until Monday, Aug. 4. The affected area includes the cities of Lone Tree and Wapello, according to an NWS statement.

With a flood stage of 16 feet, the Iowa is expected to crest at 17.8 feet early Saturday afternoon. As of 10:40 a.m. Wednesday, the river sat at 14.1 feet, according to NWS.

With more heavy rainfall in the midweek forecast, the weather service reminds area residents to avoid driving on flooded roads.

Similar conditions may pop up across Southeast Iowa in the coming days, and the NWS has issued a general flood watch for wide swaths of Southeast Iowa and Southwest Illinois — including Washington, Henry Keokuk, Louisa and Washington counties — throughout the day Wednesday, citing “excessive rainfall.”

“Turn around, don`t drown when encountering flooded roads,” it said in both flood warnings. “Most flood deaths occur in vehicles.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com