Monday, March 25, 2019

Fast Moving System...

After nearly tying the record high (84), today's 83 was well above average/normal (73).  A weak front is moving through this evening triggering several decent T-Storms that produced nearly 1/2" rainfall in just 20 minutes at my house   Several more storms are to our NW but all the rains should be to our east before midnight.  Tuesday - Friday look to be terrific with lower humidity making for chilly mornings and mild to warm afternoons.  The muggies return on Saturday and models are hinting a strong cold front will move through on Sunday stalling as a Gulf low develops offshore keeping us in a cold rain threat Sunday into Tuesday of next week.   In fact, models indicate this could be the first of 2 or 3 Gulf lows that will soak the South during the first 10 days of April.   So enjoy the rest of this week as next week doesn't look very pretty.

I noticed a huge drop in  water levels is moving down the Ohio River while a small rise is coming down the Upper Mississippi.  This is important since 70% of the volume of the lower Mississippi comes from the Ohio River with only 30% coming from the Upper Mississippi/Missouri basins.   You've seen the video of the Nebraska flooding, but the impacts for the lower Mississippi should be minimal based on the 70-30% formula.   Our river levels have just about crested and we should see a slow fall for the rest of this month.  With the predicted Gulf storms coming in the next 2-3 weeks, that should keep the Carrollton gage well above 15 feet meaning the Corps is likely to keep some Spillway bays open into May.  On a clear day, it's easy to zoom in on the visible satellite channel and see the muddy water flowing into Lake Pontchartrain, down out the Delta and out the Atchafalaya River.   Impressive!  Stay tuned!

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