News
Steele Bayou gates closed again; Highway 465 closure imminent
The gates on the Steele Bayou Control Structure were closed at around 2:30 p.m. Monday, Drew Smith, chief of Water Management for the Vicksburg District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirmed to Vicksburg Daily News.
“River conditions are such that the gates needed to close,” Smith said.
The Mississippi River was at 46.69 feet as of 2 p.m. and is projected to crest at 49 feet on April 9.
In a related development, Bob Broadwater with the Mississippi Department of Transportation said MDOT will probably close State Highway 465 once again from Highway 61 to the intersection with the backwater levee within the next 48 hours. Water was already near the edge of the roadway, he said, adding that there is some undermining of the roadway just south of the old gin that will have to be addressed once the water recedes.
Currently, the Backwater is at 94.7 feet, and there are 427,000 total acres flooded including 154,000 acres of crop land, said Levee Board Chief Engineer Peter Nimrod in an email update this afternoon. The Backwater is predicted to crest between 95 feet and 95.5 feet by mid-April. At 95.5 feet there will be 454,000 total acres flooded including 172,000 acres of crop land.
Mississippi River predictions:
| Flood Gage | Current Stage | Predicted Stage | Crest & Date |
| Cairo (Ohio River) | 40’ | 52.6 | Cresting near 52.6’ |
| Memphis | 34 | 35.3 | 36.5’ on 4/3/20 |
| Helena | 44’ | 43.2’ | 44.5 on 4/5/20 |
| Arkansas City | 37’ | 39.5’ | 42.0’ on 4/6/20 |
| Greenville | 48 | 50.6’ | 53.5’ on 4/7/20 |
| Vicksburg | 43’ | 46.7’ | 49.0’ on 4/8/20 |
| Natchez | 48’ | 53.9’ | 56.0’ on 4/9/20 |
The National Weather Service unofficial forecast for the next 16 days matches up with the official forecast shown above, Nimrod said.
- Arkansas City is slowly rising and could crest near 42’ in 7 days.
- Greenville is slowly rising and could crest near 53.5’ in 9 days.
- Vicksburg is slowly rising and could crest near 49.5’ in 10 days.
Nimrod also provided the following Backwater facts in his update:
- The Backwater went 33 years (from 1984 until 2017) without ever being above 94 feet (over 400,000 acres flooded).
- In the past three years, the Backwater has eclipsed 94 feet every year.
- In 2018, it was above 94 feet for 14 days.
- In 2019, it was above 94 feet for 147 days.
- So far in 2020, it has been above 94 feet for 40 days and counting.
