UPDATE: Mississippi River crest at St. Paul pushed back to early next week

The Mississippi River at St. Paul officially hit the “major flood stage” level Monday afternoon, with its crest expected to be higher than previously forecast.

As of 10 a.m. Tuesday, the river level nearly hit 18 feet feet in downtown St. Paul and the estimated crest is now 20 feet, according to the National Weather Service. Last week, when St. Paul declared a state of emergency, the crest was expected to be 18 feet. The baseline for a “major flood” level is 17 feet.

NWS officials said that “in general (river) gauges are over-performing” in most areas, meaning the current river levels are already higher than expected.

The 20-foot crest is expected to arrive on Sunday or Monday before receding, according to forecasts Tuesday.

On Tuesday, Ramsey County officials are expected to declare a state of emergency during their regular board meeting. Across Minnesota, 10 other counties have already declared states of emergency.

St. Paul city officials have already done so.

The streets closest to the river, Shepard Road and Water Street on the west side, have both been closed to traffic. Additionally, officials at Holman Field, the downtown airport, started erecting their flood wall over the weekend.

The record crest for downtown St. Paul is 26 feet, set in 1965. A 20-foot crest would be the eighth-highest on record.

Weather officials have said the reason for this year’s flooding is due to heavy snow packs in not just a few, but nearly all areas of the state this year — the river valleys in particular. All that thanks to a series of late-season snowfalls, combined with frigid temperatures keeping the accumulation in place until a relatively sudden thaw.

In Stillwater, volunteers worked over the weekend assembling a levee to hold back the St. Croix River. The river remained at a “minor” flood stage level Monday, though forecasts show its level creeping up all next week.