Recently parched Mississippi River faces major floods as record snows melt

Record winter snowfall across northern Minnesota, quickly melted during a spell of unprecedented spring heat, is dramatically swelling waterways along the upper Mississippi River basin. Major flood stages, the second-highest on record in some spots, stretch from Minnesota and Wisconsin to Iowa and Illinois. In Stillwater, Minn., the water level along the St. Croix River, which feeds the Mississippi, is forecast to be the seventh-highest on record as the city endures persistent floodwaters. So far, efforts to contain the floods and limit damage are working, Stillwater Mayor Ted Kozlowski said....