Flood warnings are still in effect for three states across the U.S. as the National Weather Service (NWS) warns that some roads and homes could be inundated as river levels are expected to continue to rise through Wednesday.
States Affected By Flooding
Flood warnings remain in place for Mississippi, Louisiana, and Washington, as the NWS urges drivers who encounter flooded roads not to try to drive through them. Instead, they should turn around and be “especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the dangers of flooding,” as “most flood deaths occur in vehicles.”
Mississippi
On Tuesday evening, the Chickasawhay River at Leakesville rose to 23.7 feet and was forecast to crest at 23.8 feet overnight on Tuesday. It’s expected to start to recede through Wednesday, falling below flood level stage (which is 20 feet) by Saturday morning.
The NWS warns that at 22 feet, lowlands and some roads in low-lying areas could become “cut off by high water,” affecting George and Greene counties until Saturday.
The flood level stage for the Leaf River, near McLain, is 18 feet. On Tuesday, the river rose to 22.1 feet, breaking its banks and causing “considerable flooding of agricultural and lowlands near the river.”
Although the river is expected to begin “slowly falling” through Wednesday, it won’t drop below flood level stage until Saturday morning, eventually falling to 15.9 feet by Sunday evening, the NWS forecasts.
Louisiana
On Tuesday afternoon, the Tangipahoa River near Robert rose to 17.2 feet, 2.2 feet above flood level. At 17 feet, low-lying places along Highway 22, south of Robert, and the entrance of Hidden Oaks Campground will be underwater, the NWS says.
The river is expected to start to fall below flood stage by Thursday, and will continue to fall to 9.6 feet by Sunday night.
The Bogue Chitto River near Bush reached 13.9 feet on Tuesday afternoon, which is 2.9 feet above the flood level stage, meaning homes in low-lying areas, downstream of Highway 21, near the bridge, will likely be flooded. The river is forecast to drop below flood level on Thursday morning and continue falling to 8.7 feet by Sunday night.
Pearl River reached 14.3 feet on Tuesday afternoon, and is expected to crest at around 15 feet on Wednesday night, before falling to below flood level stage—14 feet—by Friday morning. The NWS warns that around 20 homes along the left bank of the river may become inundated if water levels reach 15.5 feet.
Washington
The Skokomish River at Potlatch reached 17.1 feet on Tuesday afternoon—above the flood level stage, which is 16.5 feet—causing “widespread flooding of pasture lands” and flooding across the west Bourgault Road and Skokomish Valley Road.
The NWS expects the river to fall below the flood level stage overnight Tuesday and continue to fall through the rest of this week.
Residents in affected areas are advised to keep monitoring local forecasts for updates, remain vigilant, and be prepared for flooding to continue into the weekend.
