Mississippi River above flood stage for 137 days

As of May 21, 2019, the Mississippi River at Natchez, MS has been above the flood stage of 14.63 m (48 feet) for 137 consecutive days. This is well longer than any time since 1927 when the previous record of 77 days was set.

"The Mississippi River has been above flood stage at Natchez since January 4,” said Marty Pope, senior hydrologist for the National Weather Service in Jackson, as reported by The Natchez Democrat.

Also as of Tuesday, May 21, the Mississippi River reached its projected crest of 17.49 m (57.39 feet) at Natchez, which is just below the March 11 crest of 17.62 m (57.83 feet), which was the third highest crest ever recorded at Natchez.

The river is expected to stay at the May 21 level for the next 3 to 4 days with little fluctuation before it starts doing a much better fall, Pope said.

He estimates the Mississippi River at Natchez will stay above flood stage through late June and perhaps even into July, but he does not expect the river to go much above its current level.

"The upper part of the river will go back up again, like up around Cairo, Illinois, where the confluence of the two rivers – the Ohio and the Mississippi come together," Pope said, adding the rainfall there is expected to have little effect on the river level at Natchez by the time it moves down river.

Featured image credit @MulberryRapids