Mississppi River floodwaters surround Modern Woodmen Park, home of the Quad Cities River Bandits. (Photo by Josh Franzen)

Mississippi River flooding has prompted the Midwest League to move the opening series between the River Bandits and the Bees from Quad Cities to Burlington.

That means the two teams will play four straight games at Burlington’s Community Field to start the season, as they were already scheduled to play each other there in their third and fourth games of the season, too.

Although all four games will be played in Burlington, Quad Cities will be the home team for the first two games. Burlington will be the home team for the next two.

Although Modern Woodmen Park, home of the River Bandits, is protected from flooding thanks to a flood-wall system installed in 2004 and expanded in 2010, the surrounding floodwaters have prevented the arrival of necessary equipment and food and beverage shipments.

Additionally, Canadian Pacific Railroad — which has a track that runs alongside Modern Woodmen Park — is in the process of making improvements to lift the railroad track along Davenport’s riverfront, allowing its trains to continue operating during higher flood stages. Because this project is active, the city cannot install a pedestrian bridge to allow fans access into the ballpark as it has during previous floods.

The Midwest League season begins Thursday. Game 1 in Burlington begins at 6 p.m. that day.