Flooding of the North Raccoon River has forced the closure of U.S. Highway 169 to through traffic south of Iowa Highway 44 and north of U.S. Highway 6 as the river reaches and exceeds flood stage.
Water at present is covering a two-block area of Grove Street in Adel east of U.S. Highway 169, and water is two to three feet deep at the south entrance to the Dallas County Fairgrounds off of U.S. Highway 169.
Water also covers businesses north of Adel on west side of U.S. Highway 169, and the
entrance to the Island Park campground and soccer complex in Adel is submerged.
Limited evacuations might begin in residential areas of Adel along with extensive sandbagging.
The flood warning issued Wednesday by the National Weather Service continues in effect until further notice for the area along the river from the Greene County-Dallas County line southward to Adel.
One detour route around the closed portion of U.S. Highway 169 directs motorists west on U.S. Highway 6 to County Road P58, then north to Iowa Highway 44 and east to U.S. Highway 169.
A second detour directs motorists east on U.S. Highway 6 to County Road R22 on the outskirts of Waukee, then north to Iowa Highway 44 and west to U.S. Highway 169.
The flood stage for the Raccon River is 15 feet. Major flooding is forecast as the river rises to flood stage Friday morning and continues rising to 21.0 feet or 6.0 feet above flood stage by early Sunday morning.
For up-to-the-minute road conditions, visit the Iowa Department of Transportation website.
ThePerryNews.com will update this weather story as forecasts evolve.
