Blinding Midwestern rains in late May and early June pushed rivers to record-setting levels in parts of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin. On June 17, the mighty Mississippi River surged above the historic July 1993 flood crest from Keithsburg, Illinois, to Burlington, Iowa. Farther downstream, the Mississippi burst through several levees in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri while climbing to its second- or third-highest level on record, behind July 1993 and April 1973 from Keokuk, Iowa, to Winfield, Missouri. Many Mississippi River tributaries also flooded, with the Cedar River at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, surging 19.12 feet above flood stage and eclipsing the previous record crest by a stunning 11.12 feet. Heavy rain also pelted the east-central and southeastern Plains, although those areas avoided major flooding. In contrast, drought worsened across the southern half of the High Plains, in spite of occasional showers, due to hot weather and pre-existing sub-soil moisture shortages. Drought intensified across most of the South, except in Florida, where rainfall curbed irrigation demands and reduced the wildfire threat.
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