WINONA, Minn. – The Mississippi river rose beyond the officially recognized flood stage flood stage at Winona overnight, although short of overwhelming the levee system that protects the city. At 8:45 p.m. the river was at 14.6 feet at Winona and backing up into into Pool 6 lowlands, backwaters and sloughs between the Fountain City and Trempealeau dams. The National Weather Service revised its forecast for the crest at Winona — now expected at 16 feet Monday evening. Weather Service hydrologists described current flooding as minor and moderate.The surge is due largely to the Minnesota River, which continues to carry massive quantities of water out of flooded south-central Minnesota counties and dumping them into the Mississippi at the Twin Cities.
