HASTINGS, Minn. — On the banks of the Mississippi River in Hastings, water still covers parts of Levee Park, blocking sidewalks and roads and leaving some nearby backyards with pools of standing water.
"Well, it's pretty incredible," said Greg Schuster, who has lived in Hastings for 24 years. "Usually it's because of snow melt. We just came out of a drought! Now, to get all this rain in the last two months, it's not helping the fishing! The water is too high."
As of Tuesday morning, the Mississippi at this location remained at major flood stage, having crested at more than 19 feet early this week.
Field crews from the U.S. Geological Survey could be spotted on a boat measuring flood levels and water volume, which will help the National Weather Service with its flood forecasting.
"It's valuable for us to be here to know how much water is going down the river," supervisory hydrologic technician Ben Torrison said. "The data helps communities know what's coming."
At its peak this week, the Mississippi at Hastings surpassed the crest from last year and approached levels not seen since 2019. Preliminary data indicates the peak might crack the Top 10 all time for this location, although it's several feet below the all-time record set during the infamous flood of 1965.
"It's certainly high. It's been higher," Torrison said. "It's probably going to be a slow recession."
The forecasts indicate that the river in both St. Paul and Hastings may tumble below minor flood-stage by early next week.
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