Mississippi River is rising [ Local Stories]

The Mississippi River is rising. The Spillway will open Friday with a slow opening of 20 bays. A total of 95-105 bays will open for a 4 week period, depending on the upriver weather. The forecast amount of water released is expected to be about 10% of what was released last year. This is the first time that the Spillway has opened three years in a row.

The forecast crest got as high as 17.5 feet by April 11th. With the opening of the Spillway the crest will rise to 17 feet by April 8th, and stay at that level for a period of time. The Spillway prevents the river from rising higher, and slows the flow of the water. The flow is expect to reach 1.25 million cubic feet per second. The Spillway was built to prevent the flow from going higher. The Spillway allows water from the River to flow into Lake Pontchartrain. This reduces the stress on the River Levees. The concern is levee failure or River Traffic impacting the levees.

There is always a concern for wildlife and the fisheries with the opening of the Spillway. Fresh water flows into the lake and along the coast impacting wildlife and our seafood.

Two Hurricane Season Forecasters are saying an above average hurricane season is ahead. Dr. Phil Klotzbach is out with his forecast. 16 named storms, 8 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes. The average is 12 storms, 6 hurricanes and 3 major. Hurricane Season begins June 1 and lasts through November 30. The reason for an above average season is that no El Nino is forecast. That is the warm water in the Tropical East South Pacific. It causes strong upper level winds that can disrupt tropical systems. A neutral or even La Nina is forecast during the active time of Hurricane Season which is August through October. That means wind shear will not help. Atlantic Waters are also warm. That causes weak high Pressure, weak trade winds, more instability and a greater risk of tropical systems.Keep in mind we have had active seasons with no impact, and inactive seasons with major impacts. It is just best to always be prepared. Think now where you would evacuate if necessary, and also think about COVID 19.

from Local Stories

Buy the NOLA411.com domain name for your website!