Lower crests predicted on Mississippi

ST. LOUIS, June 20 (UPI) -- Forecasters say the coming crest of the Mississippi River in historic Hannibal, Mo., will be about a foot lower than previously expected.

The Hannibal Courier-Post said the National Weather Service Friday revised its prediction for Saturday afternoon's crest from 29.4 feet down to 28.2 feet.

The newspaper said predictions earlier this week called for a crest of nearly 32 feet, which would have equaled the record for the river town set in 1993.

The river was running at just over 27 feet in Hannibal Friday, with Louisiana expecting a crest of 26.4 feet early Sunday.

In St. Louis, the big river was running at about 37 feet and was expected to slowly recede over the weekend. Flood stage in St. Louis is 30 feet; however, no significant problems were reported in the city.

Meanwhile, emergency crews and volunteers continued toiling along the river's banks to shore up levees.

Maj. Scott Thomas of the Illinois Air National Guard said the work has been hard but morale among the more than 500 airmen on duty in Quincy, Ill. , remains high.

"The (troops) are sore and tired from working long days ... but they're enjoying themselves and enjoying the local community," Thomas told the Quincy Herald-Whig.