Is there a state in the Union that isn't dealing with some sort of wild weather? The national news has certainly been painting an ugly picture recently -- wild fires in the west, extreme heat in the east, and of course, strong thunderstorms and flooding in the nation's midsection.

This river flooding issue is a complicated one, mainly because different local rivers will be impacted in dramatically different ways. For example, while moderate to major flooding is expected along parts of the Mississippi River, the Missouri River will likely reach minor flooding levels only. Let's cut through the confusion, and get to some key points to remember...

• The worst of the river flooding will be along the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. While some flooding is possible on other local rivers and streams, most will be minor. That being said, the Meramec will likely experience moderate flooding near its confluence with the Mississippi.
• Water levels along the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers will continue to slowly rise for quite some time. Crests along these waterways are not expected in the News4 viewing area until sometime between June 20 and June 25. That's one-and-a-half to two weeks from now!
• The current forecast calls for major flooding from Grafton upstream, with moderate flooding anticipated from Alton through St. Louis, bouncing back to major flood levels downstream in Chester.
• Many are already asking how this flooding episode will compare with the flood of 1993. In most cases, it will fall a fair amount shy of those high water marks set in '93, but the flood we experienced locally two years later in 1995 might be more comparable.

For those looking for very specific and detailed information, check out the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service, a great online tool provided by the National Weather Service. Just click on a particular location to get the very latest river level forecast.

We'll continue to keep you updated both online and on air. Stick with KMOV.com and News4 as water levels continue to rise.

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