Cairo, Ill.-Officials were closely monitoring rising water levels at numerous locations last week. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Sioux Falls, S.D., issued a midweek flood warning for the Des Moines River at Jackson, Minn., and the Rock River at Rock Rapids, Iowa. Levels on the Des Moines were expected to reach the 12-foot flood stage late on March 16, with a crest at 14.4 feet expected by the weekend. There were reports that some fertilizer terminals in the Cincinnati, Ohio, area were closed last week due to high water-related road closures, and barge restrictions were reportedly in place in the St. Louis area at midweek. One contact said some locations south of the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers are already seeing the highest river levels since 1996, leaving bottom ground under water in many locations. As of March 16, levels on the Ohio River were well above flood stage at measuring stations located in Smithland, Ky., Paducah, Ky., Brookport, Ill., Grand Chain, Ill., and Cairo, Ill. The river at Cairo, where flood stage is 40 feet, was at 53.3 feet at midweek, heading to an expected crest of 54 feet on March 19. On the Mississippi River, measuring stations above flood stage on March 16 included Cape Girardeau, Mo., Thebes, Ill., New Madrid, Mo., Tiptonville, Tenn., Caruthersville, Mo., Osceola, Ark., and Memphis, Tenn. At New Madrid, where flood stage is 34 feet, river levels stood at 40.3 feet at midweek, while river levels at Caruthersville had reached 39.8 feet and were expected to crest at 41 feet on March 20, well above the 32-foot flood stage. Even though levels had not reached flood stage at Mississippi River locations south of Memphis, flood warnings were still in effect. The NWS in Memphis issued a flood warning at Helena, Ark., on March 15, noting that the river had risen to 41.4 feet, with flood stage at 44 feet. The alert remained in effect as the week advanced, with minor flooding in the forecast. In Greenville, Miss., the river had risen by March 16 to 45.6 feet, with flood stage at 48 feet. A crest of 49 feet was forecast at Greenville for March 27. River levels at other southerly locations were expected to climb above flood stage during the March 29 through April 1 timeframe. Anticipated crests during these dates include 43 feet at Vicksburg, Miss., where flood stage is 43 feet; 49.5 feet at Natchez, Miss., where flood stage is 48 feet; 51 feet at Red River Landing, La., where flood stage is 48 feet; and 35 feet at Baton Rouge, La., where flood stage is 35 feet.
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