Record high water forces partial Mississippi closure

Written by Nick Blenkey
image description

Footage uploaded to Youtube by NBC affiliate KDSK gives an impression of the severity of the flooding

Mississippi River operators can expect more delay days. As local TV stations aired pictures of continued flooding in the region, the Coast Guard on Friday closed a portion of the Mississippi River to all vessel traffic from mile marker 179 to 184 due to extremely high water levels and fast moving currents.

Vessel movements within the closure zone should be to monitor or increase waterway and port safety only. The captain of the port will review each request to move within the closure zone on a case-by-base basis.

While outside the river closure zone, the Coast Guard strongly encourages southbound transits between mile marker 179 and the JB Bridge at mile marker 168.5 only occur during daylight hours.

The Coast Guard captain of the port determines when to issue a river closure by following a Waterways Action Plan, which provides the marine industry, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, state and local governments with a coordinated plan for facilitating the safe and orderly movement of traffic during extreme conditions on the inland rivers.

The Coast Guard said restrictions to operations would be lifted as soon as conditions improve.

A National Weather Service Hazardous Weather Outlook issued Saturday morning gave little hope that would come any time soon.

Hazardous Weather Outlook
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Saint Louis MO
457 AM CDT Sat May 4 2019
ILZ058>060-064-065-069-070-074-079-095>102-MOZ018-019-026-027-
034>036-041-042-047>052-059>065-072>075-084-085-099-051000-
Adams IL-Audrain MO-Bond IL-Boone MO-Brown IL-Calhoun IL-Callaway MO-
Clinton IL-Cole MO-Crawford MO-Fayette IL-Franklin MO-Gasconade MO-
Greene IL-Iron MO-Jefferson MO-Jersey IL-Knox MO-Lewis MO-Lincoln MO-
Macoupin IL-Madison IL-Madison MO-Marion IL-Marion MO-Moniteau MO-
Monroe IL-Monroe MO-Montgomery IL-Montgomery MO-Osage MO-Pike IL-
Pike MO-Ralls MO-Randolph IL-Reynolds MO-Saint Charles MO-
Saint Clair IL-Saint Francois MO-Saint Louis City MO-Saint Louis MO-
Sainte Genevieve MO-Shelby MO-Warren MO-Washington IL-Washington MO-
457 AM CDT Sat May 4 2019
This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of eastern and
central Missouri as well as west central and southwest Illinois.

DAY ONE…Today and tonight.

Major river flooding is expected along the Mississippi and Illinois
Rivers, as well as the back water points of the Meramec and Cuivre
Rivers.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…Sunday through Friday.
There is a chance for thunderstorms over the area from late Sunday
night into Thursday. A few of the storms Wednesday into Thursday
could be severe.
Major river flooding is expected along the Mississippi and Illinois
Rivers, as well as the back water points of the Meramec and Cuivre
Rivers.
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