ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – First responders in Valley Park and along the Meramec River—including Eureka, Arnold, Fenton and Pacific—are bracing for the worst.
The river is expected to rise above flood stage Saturday afternoon, cresting at 33 feet on the Meramec and about 25 feet on the big river by Tuesday evening, according to Eureka Fire.
“There’s kind of two rounds here. We have to look at the flash flooding right now. You are seeing across the region right now vehicles that are getting trapped in water. We have not had those yet but other districts have,” said Scott Barthelmass of the Eureka Fire Protection District.
Back in November, this same area was slammed with fast-rising water. Roads like Marshall near green park had to be shut down after becoming impassable.
“We did several rescues back in November literally where people drove around the road closed/road flooded signs and that’s dangerous for those people and it’s dangerous for our personnel,” Barthelmass said.
Smaller rivers across southeast Missouri and southern Illinois are also rising fast—including Dardenne creek in St. Charles County. And as the weekend wraps, colder air could bring a wintry mix early Sunday—though no accumulation is expected.
The rain isn’t letting up yet, and officials say conditions could deteriorate quickly.
First responders stated if you see a flooded road—they are urging you to turn around; don’t risk it.