Guitarhero
New Member
Upstream, way back into Montana...dams are rising over safe levels and downstream flooding is predicted. Sigh...
erplexed
http://www.weather.com/outlook/weat...ood-missouri-river-dakotas-montana_2011-05-27
Another "Great Flood": Missouri River
by The Associated Press and weather.com
Torrential rain, plus meltwater from the season's heavy snowfall has sent rivers well above flood stage in the Upper Missouri River Basin, from the northern Rockies into the Northern Plains.
You can see this in the maps below. At left, we show May precipitation anomalies. Note the darkest green shading in eastern Mont. highlighting where precipitation is most above average. In fact, Billings, Mont. has had its record wettest month, getting over half its average annual precipitation (rain, melted snow) in less than a month! Rain events of 1-3" are a big deal in this part of the nation!
In the map at right we show water values in the current snowpack compared to average for this time of year. All the purple squares denote snow water contents over twice the average for late May!
The combination of snowpack yet to melt and heavy spring rainfall has already lead to heavy flooding in numerous locations in Montana, in particular. As you can see from the map below, the Missouri River Basin drains east out of Montana into North Dakota, then southeast through the Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa, then Kansas and Missouri.
So...similar to what happened along the Lower Mississippi River, what happens upstream becomes a problem downstream later.
In fact, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is anticipating flows from 5 of 6 dams along the Missouri River to reach record levels to help mitigate the flooding as best as possible and keep reservoir levels from reaching the top of spillway gates. Unfortunately, this will mean flooding of parts of Bismarck, N.D., Pierre, S.D., Yankton, S.D. and Sioux City, Ia., as the Missouri River will be raised to the 3-6' level above flood stage. This river flooding could last for months, in some locations, according to the Army Corps.
TWC YouTube Channel: Watch flooding video
Let's give you a rundown of the state-by-state impacts of this flooding, with news impacts courtesy of the Associated Press and National Weather Service:
Montana
erplexedhttp://www.weather.com/outlook/weat...ood-missouri-river-dakotas-montana_2011-05-27
Another "Great Flood": Missouri River
by The Associated Press and weather.com
Updated: May 30, 2011 9:00 am ET
We've had what's been called the "Great Flood of 2011" in the Lower Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys. This may not be the only Great Flood of 2011, though. Torrential rain, plus meltwater from the season's heavy snowfall has sent rivers well above flood stage in the Upper Missouri River Basin, from the northern Rockies into the Northern Plains.
You can see this in the maps below. At left, we show May precipitation anomalies. Note the darkest green shading in eastern Mont. highlighting where precipitation is most above average. In fact, Billings, Mont. has had its record wettest month, getting over half its average annual precipitation (rain, melted snow) in less than a month! Rain events of 1-3" are a big deal in this part of the nation!
In the map at right we show water values in the current snowpack compared to average for this time of year. All the purple squares denote snow water contents over twice the average for late May!
The Missouri River Basin covers 10 states and 2 Canadian provinces
Images: NOAA/CPC, NRCS, WRCC/DRI
Images: NOAA/CPC, NRCS, WRCC/DRI
The combination of snowpack yet to melt and heavy spring rainfall has already lead to heavy flooding in numerous locations in Montana, in particular. As you can see from the map below, the Missouri River Basin drains east out of Montana into North Dakota, then southeast through the Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa, then Kansas and Missouri.
So...similar to what happened along the Lower Mississippi River, what happens upstream becomes a problem downstream later.
In fact, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is anticipating flows from 5 of 6 dams along the Missouri River to reach record levels to help mitigate the flooding as best as possible and keep reservoir levels from reaching the top of spillway gates. Unfortunately, this will mean flooding of parts of Bismarck, N.D., Pierre, S.D., Yankton, S.D. and Sioux City, Ia., as the Missouri River will be raised to the 3-6' level above flood stage. This river flooding could last for months, in some locations, according to the Army Corps.
TWC YouTube Channel: Watch flooding video
The Missouri River Basin covers 10 states and 2 Canadian provinces
Image: USGS, DEMIS map server
Image: USGS, DEMIS map server
Let's give you a rundown of the state-by-state impacts of this flooding, with news impacts courtesy of the Associated Press and National Weather Service:
Montana