Three Mississippi River locks were closed to all navigational traffic today due to high water.

Yesterday, the St. Paul District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closed the locks to recreational boats. The affected locks are the Upper St. Anthony Falls and Lower St. Anthony Falls locks in downtown Minneapolis and Lock 1 near Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis.

A substantial increase in water flow is expected to make the river unsafe for navigation by Friday, according to the district. Snowmelt and rain in the Mississippi basin upstream from Minneapolis have contributed to the higher flow.

The river in Minneapolis was at 11.5 feet at 7 this morning and is forecast to rise to 13.8 feet by Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service office in Chanhassen.

In St. Paul, the river was at 17.5 feet at 9:15 this morning. It’s forecast to rise there to a crest of 19.3 feet early Tuesday, according to the weather service. That would be the eighth highest crest on record.

The river reached an initial spring crest of 19.01 feet in St. Paul last week. Major flood stage in St. Paul is 17 feet.