WeatherFanatics: Wet June has the Mississippi River on the Rise

Monday, June 23, 2014

Wet June has the Mississippi River on the Rise

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

June 23,2014; 8:05PM,EDT

Rounds of thunderstorm complexes have not only put a dent in long-term drought in parts of the Plains but also have the upper Mississippi River on the rise.
Rainfall between two and three times that of normal has fallen on portions of the northern and central Plains so far this June with near normal to double the average rainfall for the month in many areas farther south.
A large portion of the central and northern Plains will finish June with a foot of rain.

June Rainfall

Location	Rainfall (Inches)
Sioux City, Iowa	13.25
Spencer, Iowa	10.64
Minneapolis, Minn.	10.85
International Falls, Minn.	9.04
Norfolk, Neb.	9.57
Omaha, Neb.	9.16

From 1 to 2 inches of rain fell on portions of Iowa and northwestern Illinois Sunday afternoon into Monday morning.
The northern Plains will take a break from the heavy rain early this week. However, there will be a few drenching showers and storms farther south over central Plains and Midwest..
Drenching and gusty thunderstorms will target Indiana and Missouri Monday night. In addition to adding water to tributaries of the Upper Mississippi the rainfall can lead to flash and urban flooding.
Another round of showers and thunderstorms may affect the northern Plains and the upper reaches of the Mississippi River later in the week.
The central and southern Plains will also be the target of storms. Monday could turn rather wet as drenching thunderstorms rumble through the region.
Extreme to exceptional drought continues across much of this area and these rains will help alleviate some of the drought.

The latest Drought Monitor continues to show large areas of extreme conditions over the southern Plains.

The Situation on the Mississippi River

Enough rain has fallen on tributaries of the upper Mississippi River to continue to cause the waterway to rise this week.
Hydrologists with the National Weather Service are projecting the Mississippi to reach major flood stage at St. Paul, Minnesota, during much of this week and similar levels at Burlington, Iowa, during late June.
Mississippi River levels will continue to rise during late June into early July farther downstream at Quincy, Illinois, and eventually St. Louis but lock and dam operations will significantly mitigate these levels.
Low-lying areas not protected by levees, such as farmland, waterfront properties and some roadways, will be inundated once river levels surpass flood stage.
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Heavy rainfall over the past couple of weeks has pushed the Big Sioux and Little Sioux rivers out of their banks in Iowa.
At Akron, Iowa, the Big Sioux River crested at a record 25.58 feet on Wednesday. The Little Sioux River at Linn Grove, Iowa, nearly equaled a record high level on Wednesday.

Minor to moderate flooding is forecast along portions of the Red River (of the North) at Fargo and Grand Forks, North Dakota, as well as along portions of the Missouri River in Nebraska and Missouri.
No significant impact to barge traffic is expected from St. Louis on to the south at this time. However, if heavy rainfall continues over the central Plains and were to expand farther east over the Midwest, the situation could change in the weeks ahead.
As long as there is enough separation between individual complexes of thunderstorms farther east over the Midwest, water levels on the major rivers, such as the Ohio and lower Mississippi, should remain fairly stable or well within the operating range of barges.
AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski contributed to the content of this story.

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