Thread: Snow melt up North - Has is started / completed?

I would think it has started, but not nearly complete. Cooke City, Mt. predicts a high of 28 today with snow. I would keep a close eye on the water level on the Miss. River. When the snow really starts melting, it will be rising.

Yea your snow melt that affects the atchafalaya is pretty much over, only way you gonna get a big rise now is if the ohio valley gets another flood somewhere.

I saw on the weather channel the other day the remaining snow pack up north. It has backed up quite a bit. The key is always the fronts up north and the warm spells that follow. When huge rises happen you can see that the weather up north has been warm for a long period coupled with rain that melts the snow like a blow torch. When they get a cold front following a little warm up, the melt slows and so does the river rise. Like letting it down in stages. Also I saw that 6"of snow = 1" of rain. We'll see about the basin rise. I hope it gets a good flush so those crawdad fishermen can move those traps more into the swamp and not along the canals. I've seen rises in the basin as late as June. Its all about the weather up north....SLIP

Originally Posted by pac popper

Yea your snow melt that affects the atchafalaya is pretty much over, only way you gonna get a big rise now is if the ohio valley gets another flood somewhere.

I'm with you on this one!!!

Originally Posted by swampman

I'm with you on this one!!!

Yea most people think snow melt is what gives us big spring rises on the lower Mississippi River, but actually has little to do with it. Any time the atchafalaya goes way up to over 13-14 at buttelarose it's usually because the ohio river valley has had a huge amount of rainfall somewhere. If Cairo gage gets to 45 or above that's when we get water. Right now it's falling below flood stage which is 40'.

Also take into consideration, we have had more than 7 inches of rain in most of the Ohio Valley,,,here in Indiana that much or more in places in Indiana over past 2 weeks,,and our Res. are holding all the water as our rivers are at flood or just now cresting and falling. Sooner or later they have to start releasing and the prediction is for more rain, especially this weekend.

Thanks -- cevans -- those pieces of the puzzle make a lots information in a hurry

I read somewhere that when a drop of rain falls on the Mississippi river head waters, it takes 80 days to reach the Gulf. So I expect some big water coming down next month or so.