The National Weather Service late Monday issued a flood warning for Marshall County.
While the Iowa River had not reached flood stage as of Tuesday afternoon, steady rain and snowmelt are expected to cause the river to rise gradually to flood stage during the day Friday.
The river will then continue to rise at least through Monday, when it is expected to crest at 20.38 feet, according to the latest forecasts.
Kim Elder, assistant coordinator at the Marshall County Emergency Management Agency, said that things can change quickly, especially given the weather forecast the rest of the week.
"It's kind of wait and see, but most everybody because we've been through it a couple of years in a row, are already on watch," she said.
If the Iowa River crests in Marshalltown at 20.38 feet, it will be tied for the third-highest crest ever. The previous crest at 20.38 feet was set June 18, 1990.
The highest crest took place on June 13, 2008, when the river reached a level of 21.79 feet.
"The road crews are watching for ice jams and any water that is coming up over the road," Elder said.
Certainly, if the prediction comes true, some streets will be closed, especially Highway 330 south of Albion.
Elder said the water plant is already aware of the situation. Because it sits so low and right on the banks of the Iowa River, it can be adversely affected by floodwater as well.
Another concern could be the Alliant Energy power plant, which had to shut down for a while when the 2008 flood took place.
"If they have enough water around the plant, then they'll think about going offline but that's something they deal with as the water comes," Elder said.
During that flood event, the weather radio was also taken offline and those who had the radios had to change their frequencies to get information specific to Marshall County. So far, Elder said that is not being discussed and the radios will work as they do normally.
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Contact Ken Black at 641-753-6611 or kblack@timesrepublican.com