Glen Contrarian
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Um...you're looking at outdated information. The Mississippi's never risen to this extent in recorded history. Ever.
Record flooding along some tributaries after torrential post-Christmas weekend rain has sent the Mississippi River to levels not seen since the Great Flood of 1993, and that excess water will continue to flow downstream triggering flooding in the Lower Mississippi Valley into mid-late January.
In the past week or so, nearly a dozen locations have seen water levels on rivers or creeks rise to new record crests, including on parts of the Mississippi River and the Meramec River. You can find a full recap of the records set near the bottom of this article.
At Cape Girardeau, Missouri, about 115 miles south-southeast of St. Louis, the Mississippi River on Friday rose above the previous record flood crest there from the Great Flood of 1993, with a broad crest exceeding that of the August 8, 1993 crest. Water levels are now receding there and will continue to do so very slowly the next couple of days.
What you need to remember, Ocean, is that the 1927 flood (which my grandmother lived through and told me about several times) was during a time when even though there were already levies, flood control was not nearly as comprehensive as it is now...and in the earlier time you mention - in the 1700's - there were no levies at all, much less actual flood control. That's why they refer to much of the Mississippi River basin as a "flood plain".
But now, the river's higher than it's ever been...and what's worse is that the records are being set up in Missouri, which means that as the billions of gallons of water slowly drains south, whatever additional rainfall (or snowfall) occurs in that entire section of the nation will be added. This is why Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana are getting very, very nervous indeed.
Communities along the Mississippi River in Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana should be prepared for flood issues over the coming weeks as the copious amount of water travels farther south.
Water levels will continue to rise in Memphis, Tennessee, and Greenville, Mississippi, as well as Baton Rouge, Louisiana, through the second week of January. Levees will be forced to hold back the rising water, but in some cases may fail, as has been seen in the past week. Residents in these areas will want to be prepared for potentially historic flooding.
Flooding on the middle portion of the Mississippi River and some of its tributaries reached levels not seen during the winter months since records began during the middle 1800s.
