Louisiana climatologist warns of flood threats from high Mississippi River levels
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Louisiana could see 'generational' flood threats as a result of excessive rain expected in the U.S., causing runoff to move down the Mississippi River.
According to experts at the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center, portions of the Midwest and Mid-South are under a high risk of excessive rain with life-threatening flash flooding expected Friday afternoon through early Saturday and continuing through Sunday morning. 'This flooding event will be a marathon – not a sprint,' NWS wrote on X on April 3.
Starting Saturday night, a severe weather threat with heavy rain, winds, and possible tornadoes is expected in the Baton Rouge area. State Climatologist Jay Grymes said a steady rise in the Mississippi River levels due to rain expected in the new few days could reach Baton Rouge and New Orleans by early to middle of next week.
'All gaging sites along the river in Louisiana will rise above flood stage. But remember, these stages do NOT take into account the protection of the levee system,' Grymes said.
He said the latest 28-day forecast from the National Weather Service/Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center shows a rise at New Orleans continuing through April. He added that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could initiate the first flood fight phase around the middle of this month before possibly continuing to the second phase around April 22-25.
In Baton Rouge, Grymes said the Mississippi River is expected to rise above flood stage (35 feet) in the next two weeks. He said there's a chance of the river climbing to or above 40 feet.
'That is still below the protection levels of BR's levees (~43-46 ft), but it is the highest the river has climbed for Baton Rouge since spring 2020,' Grymes said.
Louisiana climatologist warns of flood threats from high Mississippi River levels
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