https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-river-flooding-wisconsin-iowa-99bcd6f626baf57f0dd8029cefa6dc7d > Communities along the Upper Mississippi River scrambled Wednesday as the always massive river swelled to near record levels, forcing some to be evacuated from their homes while others downstream stacked sandbag walls and closed off flood-prone areas near the waterway. > The river has grown so large because of a huge snowpack in northern Minnesota that began to quickly melt last week due to rising temperatures.