Floods worst in decades

Experts say the flooding currently plaguing some parts of Illinois happens only once every couple of decades. U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist John Latour said the Iroquois, Vermilion, Kankakee and Sangamon rivers in east-central and central Illinois have seen 20-year flooding. The Salt Fork River near St. Joseph, east of Urbana-Champaign, reached almost 19 feet Wednesday, its highest stage in 36 years of the agency's record-keeping at that site, Latour said. What's causing the flooding? Last month's heavy rainfall, melting snow and extreme temperature shifts contributed to the rising waters. Plunging temperatures caused ice to form on some swollen rivers, leading to spot flooding, said National Weather Service meteorologist Nathan Marsili.