Flood Safety Awareness Week coincides with local river flooding

This week is set aside by the National Weather Service as National Flood Safety Awareness Week. It happens to be a good week to highlight the threats of flooding since the Mississippi River is rising above flood stage of 34.0 feet at Memphis this week. See the graph below showing the forecast for the Memphis gauge. From the National Weather Service, a Flood Warning is in effect:

THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT MEMPHIS
* FROM TUESDAY EARLY AFTERNOON UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
* AT 9 PM MONDAY THE STAGE WAS 33.8 FEET.
* MINOR FLOODING IS FORECAST.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 34.0 FEET.
* FORECAST TO RISE ABOVE FLOOD STAGE BY TUESDAY EARLY AFTERNOON AND
  CONTINUE TO RISE TO NEAR 36.0 FEET BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. ADDITIONAL
  RISES ARE POSSIBLE THEREAFTER.
* AT 36.0 FEET...LAND BETWEEN THE MAINLINE LEVEE SYSTEM FLOODED

The river has been rising for the past few weeks as snowmelt and recent heavy rain upstream have caused the tributaries feeding into the main rivers to rise (see our blog post from early March on the subject). This is a fairly normal occurrence in the spring, but due to heavier snowfall in the northern U.S., flooding will likely affect large areas to the south. This will be especially true for agricultural land inside the mainline levees around and downstream from Memphis.

For more information on river stages in the Mid-South, including forecast stages and effects of high water levels, visit the NWS Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS). AHPS provides you with user friendly text, graphical forecasts, and flood maps. The goal of these products is to help citizens be aware of river conditions and make plans accordingly. This information can help make recreational plans, plan for floods, and get ready for seasonal changes

If you live or work near a swollen body of water, please exercise caution and remain at a safe distance from it, particularly if it is swiftly-moving, and warn children under your watch to stay away from rivers and creeks as well. One small mis-step could mean the difference between curiously watching the current and fighting for your life as you get swept downstream.

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