A 3 p.m. reading showed the river at 15.64 feet, the expected high-water level, according to Jefferson County Administrator Gary Petre. Flood stage there is 10 feet.

Petre said the river, which has closed bridges and roads as the water rose, is expected to crest today at Fort Atkinson at 10.72 feet. At 3 p.m., Petre said, Fort Atkinson was measured at 10.64 feet. Flood stage there is 6 feet.

"Cresting would be the anticipated maximum level the river would get to," Petre said. "At that point, the rising river should subside. How quickly that occurs, we don't know."

Meanwhile, Highway 213 in Beloit in Rock County was closed Wednesday from Grand Avenue to State Street at the bridge crossing of the Rock River.

Since Friday, about 17 families have left their homes along low-lying areas of the Rock River in Rock County.

Rock County sheriff's deputies on Friday began going door-to-door telling residents to consider leaving, said Lt. Gary Groelle.

The Sheriff's Department isn't preparing for a mandatory evacuation, he said.

Floodwaters in Fort Atkinson are causing additional highway closures south of the city along the Bark River.

A tributary of the Rock, the Bark River flows east toward the town of Cold Spring and has closed Highway D near the town where it crosses the river, Petre said. Highway N closer to Fort Atkinson, where it crosses the Bark, also is closed, he said.

In other highway situations, lanes going north on Interstate 39 near Portage in Columbia County were reopened Wednesday, though the southbound lanes remained closed until further notice. In addition, I-39 northbound ramps to Highway 33 and Cascade Mountain remain closed.

People traveling south on I-39 must continue to use the Highway 16 detour through Portage. State Department of Transportation crews have been pumping more than 60,000 gallons of water a minute from the area, officials said.

Interstate 94 at Johnson Creek between Milwaukee and Madison is expected to have one lane open in each direction by this weekend, but state officials encourage travelers to avoid the area if possible because of reduced speeds and likely backups.