Forecast Crest of Mississippi River Lowered with Tropical Storm Barry

The National Weather Service (NWS) has revised the forecast crest of the Mississippi River in New Orleans in the coming days, lowering the projected river height for the area related to Tropical Storm Barry.

The river level at the Carrollton Gauge in New Orleans crested at 16.93 today (Friday, July 12), and has begun to fall. This means that the storm surge has passed and the risk of levee overtopping is minimal.

The river is expected to rise again to a level of about 17.1 feet by Monday, approximately two feet less than originally predicted. This increase is associated with projected rainfall from Barry as the storm moves further inland over the next 48 to 72 hours.

Initial forecasts earlier in the week had the river cresting as high as 20 feet, before the NWS amended its forecast on Thursday to a crest of 19 feet.

Official flood stage for the river in New Orleans is 17 feet. However, the levee system in the city is able to hold the river to a level of about 20 feet, with a level of 22 feet in some areas.