As Mississippi River recedes, flood warning lifted for New Orleans [What flooding?]

Times-Picayune [nola.com] ^ | 27-May-2011 | John Pope

[topher]

As Mississippi River recedes, flood warning lifted for New Orleans

By John Pope, The Times-Picayune

Based on a drop in the level of the swollen Mississippi River, the National Weather Service on Friday canceled its weeks-long flood warning for New Orleans and points downriver.

Despite this development for south Louisiana, the weather service’s flood warning remains in effect for points upriver, including Baton Rouge, where levee seepage has led the state Office of Transportation and Development to close River Road’s southbound lane from North Third Street to State Capitol Drive.

In New Orleans, the river’s flood stage is 17 feet, but the weather service saw no reason to maintain the flood warning as the Mississippi’s level dropped to 16.8 feet, where it is expected to stay through Monday before dropping another 0.1 foot on Tuesday, said Jeff Graschel, service coordination hydrologist for the weather service.

There are several reasons for the change, he said, including falling levels upstream and the Bonnet Carre and Morganza spillways’ ability to divert some of the flow.

[topher]

It does not appear to be much threat of flooding, at least for New Orleans. Baton Rouge is having seepage through the levees. And very small communities have to deal with flooding in Louisiana.

Very dry here...

Here is a NOAA NWS map showing flooding:

Link to NOAA/NWS Map of flooding and status

Color Purple is bad.

[Must not be LSU fans who did the map!]

At this point, 330 [of 350 possible] gates of Bonnet Carre into Lake Pontchartrain are open. Lake Pontchartrain is too large to flood and is connected directed to the Gulf.

On the other hand, 12 gates out of 25 gates are open on the Morganza Spillway are open. These gates flood the Atchafalaya swamp and river...

[dr_lew]

Here's a view of the Mississippe/Atchafalaya delta region as of midday Saturday. The Morganza spillway is top left, and much of the floodway region is wooded, so you don't see the extent of the flooding. Note the muddy effluent bottom left, however. Compare the outlet of the Bonner-Carre floodway center right, just above New Orleans.

If the Mississippi "wants to" go down the Atchafalaya channel, it looks like the Corps has no choice but to let it have its way for a few weeks. This is a big flood.

[dr_lew]

This was midday Friday. Here's the Modis Terra link. And of course, that's the Bonnet-Carre spillway.