Mississippi River at Memphis cresting today, beginning slow fall

The Mississippi River at the Memphis gauge downtown went above flood stage of 34.0 feet on Tuesday morning, March 15.  Based on hourly river stages and the forecast, it appears that the river has reached a high-water mark at 36.5 feet this morning and will now begin a very slow fall over the next several days.  The forecast calls for flood waters to continue through the next week at least.  The graph below shows the recent readings and the forecast over the next 5 days or so.

Because the river will still be in flood for several more days and tributaries remain very high, please be continue to exercise caution around flooded areas.  More information on safety around swollen waterways can be found in a recent MWN Blog post: Flood Safety Awareness Week coincides with local river flooding

Also, you may wish to check out another recent blog post containing pics of the Mississippi River above flood stage.  While the forecast is for a sow decline, further snowmelt or heavy rain upstream could exacerbate conditions in the Mid-South. We'll keep you posted.

Have you been affected by high waters of the river or it's tributaries? How?

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