The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center (LMRFC) released the update below today to document the low river stage conditions. The LMRFC provided the quoted text below along with the attachment to update historic low water readings and the updated river stage predictions from Cairo (IL) to Baton Rouge (LA). 

“We have seen significant increases in the flows out of the Upper Mississippi and Missouri Rivers this week with Cairo now cresting around 24.8 later this week. With the official forecast using 48 hour forecasted rainfall, we are not seeing a return of the low stages through the rest of November.

The Mississippi River forecast based on the 16 day NAEFS forecast rainfall is also picking up on some additional rainfall in the following week that will help to delay a return of the significantly low stages we have seen earlier this year.

We will send out an update in two weeks from now when new information comes in that gives us a better idea of the long term outlook that may carry us through the remainder of this low flow season into December.”
(Emphasis supplied)

The supporting information below was prepared by the Big River Coalition:

The Carrolton Gage (New Orleans) reading at 1400 hours today was 2.02 feet with a 24-hour change of – 0.04 feet.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service Extended Streamflow Prediction (28-Day) for the Carrollton Gage issued today forecasts that stages will continue a slow fall to 3.2 feet on November 12 and will then rise to 4.5 feet on November 18 and will then begin a slow fall to 2.7 feet on December 4 (2024).

Long-range forecasts only include precipitation expected to fall in the next 48-hours.