Floods recede

Floodwaters submerged a rural Illinois town and thousands of St Louis residents were evacuated out of fears of a propane explosion, AP reports from St Louis. But forecasters predict the area may have already seen its highest river levels.

The Mississippi River was measured at 48.6ft in St Louis, below Sunday's high of 49.4ft. 'The current thinking may be that the highest point it reached may have been yesterday (Sunday) morning,' said a National Weather Service forecaster, Ted Schroeder.