NATCHEZ — The Mississippi River at Natchez is expected to rise 6.6 feet in the next two weeks, placing it just below flood level early in the spring rise season.
The National Weather Service tells The Natchez Democrat the river will rise to near 46.5 feet by March 27.
The river has already risen 3.3 feet since Wednesday, meaning — if predictions are true — the waters could rise 10 feet in 16 days.
Flood stage at Natchez is 48 feet on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gauge.
NWS Hydrologist Marty Pope said the rise is being driven by higher-than-usual rainfall in the Ohio River Valley, which empties into the Lower Mississippi River.
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