VICKSBURG, Miss. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District provided an update on forecasts and conditions across the district’s jurisdiction April 9.
The National Weather Service has forecasted an average of 1.75-3 inches of rainfall over the Lower Mississippi River Valley over the next seven days. The Mississippi River is expected to crest at Arkansas City, Arkansas, at 43.5 feet April 9; Greenville, Mississippi, at 54.7 feet April 10; Vicksburg, Mississippi, at 50.3 feet April 10; and Natchez, Mississippi, at 57.2 feet April 11. These predictions are based on two days of forecasted rainfall and may change based on future rainfall.
Based on seven days of forecasted rainfall, the Yazoo Backwater Area is expected to crest around 96 feet next week. The gates of the Steele Bayou Control Structure, located approximately 10 miles north of Vicksburg, Mississippi, were closed March 30 due to rising stages on the Mississippi River. The gates of the Little Sunflower Control Structure were closed March 25.
The gates of the flood control structures at Sardis, Grenada and Arkabutla lakes in north Mississippi remain open to regain storage capacity. The gates of the flood control structure at Enid Lake remain closed.
The district’s three flood control reservoirs in Arkansas – Lake Ouachita, Lake Greeson and DeGray Lake – have 99-100% of their flood control storage capacity available.
Stages on the Red River in Arkansas and Louisiana have crested, and navigation closures are anticipated at this time. According to recent forecasts, the Ouachita River at Monroe, Louisiana, will remain around 39 feet for the remainder of the week.
District personnel and their local partners will continue to monitor the conditions of flood control works, including levees, flood walls and pumping stations across the entirety of the district’s jurisdiction.
The Vicksburg District’s online inundation mapping viewer is available at the following link: https://go.usa.gov/xd5sb.
The public is encouraged to contact local authorities and management officials for updates about conditions in their area and should avoid activities on or near flood control works.
The Vicksburg District is engineering solutions to the nation’s toughest challenges. The Vicksburg encompasses a 68,000-square-mile area across portions of Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana that holds seven major river basins and incorporates approximately 460 miles of mainline Mississippi River levees. The district is engaged in hundreds of projects and employs approximately 1,100 personnel.
XXX