3 Mississippi locks closed as water rises

Lock and dams along the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities will close Thursday morning to recreational and commercial traffic.

The U.S Army Corps of Engineers expects the Mississippi River flow to be more than 40,000 cubic feet per second. Flows need to be less than 30,000 cubic feet to be considered safe for recreational use.

This is the first time this year all three locks will be closed.

George Stringham, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, says weather around the region plays a major role in closing the locks.

"When you are looking at rainfall, it's not typically the rain here in the Twin Cities," he said. "It's about what is happening upstream of the Twin Cities. What rains up there is going to impact the flows here in the city."

The locks have been closed for the safety of recreational boaters since Monday. It's likely they won't open again until sometime next week.