The U.S. Coast Guard Tuesday closed an 8-kilometer section of the Mississippi River near St. Louis, Missouri, to all vessel traffic as rising river levels created "hazardous conditions." Martin Malloy, the Coast Guard's Upper Mississippi River Captain of the Port, said that the river was closed from Madison County, Illinois, to the north and St. Louis to the south. The Mississippi was forecast to crest at near-record levels Thursday after deadly storms and tornadoes swept through the region, raising water levels and causing flash flooding.
