What happened in the 2011 river flood?

Thousands of square miles of agricultural and residential land were submerged by water that had surged over the banks of the Mississippi River system or that had been purposely diverted from large settlements through the blasting of levees and the opening of spillways.

What flood was in 2011?

2011 Mississippi River floods

100 populated locations were experiencing major or moderate flooding on May 8, 2011. Source: National Weather Service
Date May 4, 2011 to June 20, 2011
Location Mississippi River Valley, United States
Deaths About 20 direct 348 indirect from preceding storms
Property damage US$2 to 4 billion

What caused the flood of 2011?

During the spring of 2011, persistent rainfall combined with melting snowpack caused historical flooding in some of the United States’ major rivers, including the Ohio, the Mississippi, and the Missouri. A relentless storm track pattern provided precipitation amounts 150 percent of normal in the Ohio Valley.

Which location along the Mississippi river experienced a record flood level in May 2011?

In Memphis, the river reached its highest level, 48.03 feet on May 10, 2011. This was the second-highest reading since 1937 when the river reached a record 48.7 feet.

When was the last time the Mississippi flooded?

The River was in flood at Baton Rouge for 67 days (6th longest since 1927) and Red River Landing was above flood stage for 74 days (7th longest since 1927). The longest known flood of record on the lower Mississippi River!…Flood Duration Data (1927 – Present)

Rank Duration (Days) Year
21 50 1937

How high did the water get during the Mississippi river flood of 2011?

48.03 feet
In Memphis, the river reached its highest level, 48.03 feet on May 10, 2011. This was the second-highest reading since 1937 when the river reached a record 48.7 feet. Many local rivers in the city of Memphis overflowed its banks, including Big Creek, the Loosahatchie River, the Wolf River, and along Nonconnah Creek.

Does the Mississippi river flood regularly?

Red River landing has experienced flood events greater than 30 days 35 times in 92 years – a frequency of 34.8% or roughly once every 3 years. Data provided by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District and National Weather Service AHPS data.

Why do rivers flood?

A flood occurs when a river bursts its banks and the water spills onto the floodplain. Flooding tends to be caused by heavy rain: the faster the rainwater reaches the river channel , the more likely it is to flood. The nature of the landscape around a river will influence how quickly rainwater reaches the channel.

How many floods happen a year?

Flood Damage and Fatality Statistics

1 TEXAS 612
2 CALIFORNIA 255
3 SOUTH DAKOTA 248
4 VIRGINIA 241
5 WEST VIRGINIA 240

How bad was the Mississippi River flood in 2011?

Source: National Weather Service. The Mississippi River floods in April and May 2011 were among the largest and most damaging recorded along the U.S. waterway in the past century, comparable in extent to the major floods of 1927 and 1993. In April 2011, two major storm systems deposited record levels of rainfall on the Mississippi River watershed.

Is Highway 61 closed in Yazoo County?

Another portion of U.S. Highway 61 near Redwood was closed by backwater flooding along the Yazoo River on May 13 and was closed until June 3.

How many populated locations were experiencing major or moderate flooding in 2011?

100 populated locations were experiencing major or moderate flooding on May 8, 2011. Source: National Weather Service. The Mississippi River floods in April and May 2011 were among the largest and most damaging recorded along the U.S. waterway in the past century, comparable in extent to the major floods of 1927 and 1993.

What caused the Mississippi River to swell in 2011?

In April 2011, two major storm systems deposited record levels of rainfall on the Mississippi River watershed. When that additional water combined with the springtime snowmelt, the river and many of its tributaries began to swell to record levels by the beginning of May.