…WHILE MISSISSIPPI RIVER FLOODS MISSOURI

Meanwhile, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has declared an state of emergency due to heavy rains that were expected to bring the Mississippi River to record heights exceeding crests seen during the Great Flood of 1993. “As rivers rise to record levels, we are continuing to support Missouri communities and protect public safety during this historic flooding event,” Nixon said, as he activated the National Guard. The river was expected to crest at 47.5 feet in Perry County, matching the 1993 record, and at 47.5 feet at Thebes, nearly two feet above the record. Further downstream, officials in Tennessee warned that the Mississippi would crest in Memphis at 43.5 feet over the weekend, around five feet below a record set in 1937. In the southeast, unusually warm weather spawned a series of tornadoes and torrential rain that caused at least 18 deaths and damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes.