The one good thing about today’s weather? At some point, either this afternoon or tonight, it is going to finally stop raining. The rain continued overnight and will continue today, with heavy rain at times. Total rainfall amounts, starting on Saturday morning, range throughout the county from reports of around 5 inches of rain to as much as 8 inches of rain—at least in the reports we have received. (If you have a rainfall total to report, please email it to tstapleton@cromwellradio.com or at our Facebook page). To add to the flooding issues today, we are also under a Wind Advisory until 1 pm today with winds out of the northeast gusting up to 50 miles per hour. There are numerous roads throughout the county that are flooded and have standing water at this time. And, everyone is urged to be as cautious as possible when traveling on the roads today. In Vandalia, the intersections at 4th and Jefferson Streets and also at 5th and Randolph Streets have taken on water and are closed and should be avoided for today.
Meanwhile, the flooding for the Kaskaskia River in Vandalia continues to reach some horrible levels. As of last night, the stage for the Kaskaskia River in Vandalia was estimated at 27.6 feet—that is well above the river’s 18 foot flood stage. There have been several photographs of water coming over the levee spots to the south of Vandalia and just a quick glance shows the river is well beyond it’s banks at this time and flooding has occurred in numerous areas around the river. It is now expected the Kaskaskia River in Vandalia will crest at 28.3 feet probably sometime this morning. And, then the river is expected to fall below flood stage on Friday morning, New Year’s Day.