What a Difference a Year Makes!

David Clement of Vicksburg submitted these photos of the Mississippi River, taken from the same spot, the river overlook off Washington Street, on May 16, 2011, when the river was just below its historic high of 14.1 feet above the 43-foot flood level, and last week, when the level was recorded a 1.1 feet, a difference of 56 feet.

Picture I took today of the four piers at Louisiana side.

Today the Mississippi River was at 0.7 feet.  Rose: 0.2 foot

Flood stage: 43 feet.

Barges on the Mississippi River are getting lighter as the river gets lower - a condition unlikely to change until there's more water to float the boats.

The ongoing drought and the hottest July on record have combined to threaten records on the Lower Mississippi.  The record low in Memphis is minus 10.7 feet, set in 1988 when part of the river closed.  In Vicksburg, the record is minus 7 feet, set in 1940.  

Forecasts by the National Weather Service River Forecast Center show the river at Vicksburg dipping to four-tenths of a foot by early September.  

The Vicksburg Post