Dawn Fredrickson, Katy Trail Coordinator on 4/19/2013 8:18:46 AM:
We have great news! Because we did not receive the anticipated amounts of precipitation during yesterday’s storms, the National Weather Service has significantly backed off its flood predictions for the Missouri River.
The river is now predicted to crest at 23.8’ at the Boonville Gauge around 7 a.m. Saturday morning, April 20, which is about 4’ above flood stage but thankfully not high enough to flood the Katy Trail at the originally listed locations near Rocheport, Hartsburg and Providence. Additionally, it is not anticipated that the Easley River Road will be flooded.
The river is predicted to crest at 28.2’ at the St. Charles Gauge around 7 p.m. on Sunday, April 21, about 3’ above flood stage. At this flood stage, the Katy Trail may still be under water between mileposts 34 and 34.7 east of St. Charles, but will not be flooded near Weldon Spring Trailhead or Frontier Park.
Trail users will still need to exercise caution, as they may encounter areas of rough surface or debris across the trail where storm water overtopped culverts and ditches. These areas will be signed and staff is working diligently to make repairs as quickly as possible.
In answer to some of the posts about receiving updates prior to trips, we'll continue to post updates here, on our Katy Trail Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/#!/KatyTrailStatePark), and on our Katy Trail website. The neat thing about our Katy Trail website is that we provide a webpage that lists potential flood locations on the trail (http://mostateparks.com/page/58843/potential-flood-locations) and also provides a link to the National Weather Service's hydrologic prediction pages for the Missouri River at the Boonville and St. Charles gauges.
You're also more than welcome to call the Katy Trail State Park office at 573-449-7402 for updates on storm damage, construction projects, special events, etc. This is also the number to call if you're interested in volunteerin