The U.S. Coast Guard closed a 403-mile section of the upper Mississippi River on Monday from Muscatine, Iowa, northward to Minneapolis due to high water and fast moving currents.
The river was closed to all commercial and recreational traffic until further notice due to high water levels caused by melting snow and heavy rains, river officials said.
Early Monday, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack issued a proclamation of disaster for 10 Iowa counties along the Mississippi River.