What you are seeing is partly another result of the winter we didn't have last winter. Lack of the normal huge snow levels up north are one reasons causing this, the unusually low Mississippi River we are experiencing now. And what makes it more odd, this is just a year after the record flood of 2011.
This is the road out to the Mississippi River just across from Grand Gulf State Park in Claiborne County last July. We had to come out here in a 4-wheeler because of all the mud and silt still over the road from the recently retreated floodwaters. And you could still see the river.
This year? Totally different. You can drive right down to the top of the bank. And you have to drive that far if you want to see the river at all. Last year, the Mississippi topped out at 57 and 2 tenths feet here at Grand Gulf. That's the white piece of board tacked a foot higher than the former record flood mark in 1927 of 56.2 here. Now the river is at 4.8 on the Vicksburg gauge. Nearly 53 feet below where it was last year. There have only been rare times the river has been above 50 feet. And never has it fallen over 50 feet in a year.
Where we're standing here on the bank, we're a good 20 feet above the water level down below. That would mean that a year ago about this time, the level of the Mississippi River would be about 30 feet over our heads.
Old Man River sort of acts like an old man at this level. Barge traffic here at Grand Gulf is brought to a standstill at times the channel is so narrow. Two tows have to crawl past. The southbound traffic, going with the current, taking the lead. Birds are flying faster than the northbound tow. It's a far cry from the amount of water here at the height of the flood, not only filling the channel to overflowing, but 30 feet above that.
But don't be mistaken, even this low Old Man River is still mighty enough that it keeps rolling along. But at these levels, the traffic atop it has to slow to a crawl, especially at narrow passages like at Grand Gulf. And the 30-day outlook says the river could fall another couple of feet, unless it starts raining a lot upstream.
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WLBT 3 - Fox 40
