Mississippi River

Long-term flooding along major waterways stranded barges up and down the Mississippi River this summer and caused havoc with river transportation and the economy that depends on it.

In some places, homes and businesses in what's known as the 100-year flood plain have been hit by multiple floods in a matter of weeks. When these sorts of floods happen back to back, many residents might start to wonder: Why are they even called 100-year floods?

The record-breaking flooding is threatening communities and farmland along the upper Mississippi. Davenport, Iowa, is experiencing downtown flooding. The high water is continuing to move downriver.