Current River report
FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1021 AM CDT THU MAR 31 2011
…LATEST UPDATE ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER…
INITIAL CRESTS WILL OCCUR ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER NEXT WEEK…
BETWEEN ABOUT APRIL 4TH AND 6TH. THESE CRESTS WILL ONLY RESULT
IN WATER LEVELS NEAR OR JUST SLIGHTLY ABOVE FLOOD STAGE…WITH
ONLY MINOR FLOODING CONCERNS.
RIVER LEVELS ARE THEN EXPECTED TO REMAIN NEARLY STEADY…OR PERHAPS
FALL SLIGHTLY…AS WE MOVE INTO THE SECOND WEEK OF APRIL.
BEYOND THAT…THE FORECAST REMAINS QUITE UNCERTAIN…AS WE TRY TO
DETERMINE JUST HOW FAST THE SNOW UPSTREAM WILL MELT AND MOVE THROUGH
THE RIVER SYSTEMS TOWARD US. ONE THING THAT WE ARE SURE OF…WATER
LEVELS WILL REMAIN NEAR FLOOD STAGE THROUGH MUCH OF THE MONTH…
AND PERHAPS INTO EARLY MAY.
HOW HIGH THE RIVER EVENTUALLY GETS DEPENDS GREATLY ON HOW THE
SNOW PACK UPSTREAM MELTS AND IF WE GET ANY ADDITIONAL PRECIPITATION.
WE ARE MONITORING THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME LIGHT RAIN PRECIPITATION
FROM TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY…AS WELL AS A LARGER STORM SYSTEM EXPECTED
TO AFFECT THE REGION EARLY NEXT WEEK. ADDITIONAL WATER AMOUNTS IN
THE NEXT 48 HOURS DOES NOT APPEAR AS THOUGH IT WILL HAVE MUCH OF
AN IMPACT ON MISSISSIPPI RIVER LEVELS. BUT THE SYSTEM NEXT WEEK
HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DROP SOME SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION…WHICH
COULD BE IN THE FORM OF RAIN OR SNOW. IT IS LIKELY THAT ANY
PRECIPITATION THAT FALLS WITH THAT SYSTEM WILL CAUSE WATER LEVELS
TO RISE AGAIN.
RESIDENTS ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI WILL NEED TO REMAIN VIGILANT FOR A
SECOND CREST LATE IN THE MONTH…ONE THAT COULD STILL BE HIGHER.
THE FLOOD WARNING CONTINUES FOR
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT GUTTENBERG DAM 10.
* FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
* AT 9:00 AM THURSDAY THE STAGE WAS 14.6 FEET.
* FLOOD STAGE IS 15.0 FEET.
* MINOR FLOODING IS FORECAST.
* FORECAST…RISE ABOVE FLOOD STAGE BY APRIL 4TH OR 5TH…WITH A
SLOW RISE UP TO AROUND 15.5 FEET BY APRIL 7TH. ADDITIONAL RISES
ARE EXPECTED THEREAFTER.
* IMPACT…AT 15.5 FEET…THE WATER IS OVER MARINA ROAD.