Flood Stages Will be Lowered for the Atchafalaya River at Simmesport November 6th

The National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in Lake Charles, La., and the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center (LMRFC) in Slidell, La will be upgrading hydrologic services by adjusting flood stage levels on the Atchafalaya River at Simmesport. The change will take effect on Wednesday, November 6th. This location is a daily forecast point. The upgraded hydrologic services were the result of field surveys during recent flood events and discussions with the United States Army Corps of Engineers and local stakeholders that will allow more meaningful and applicable warnings and forecasts for public safety and protective actions by using lower flood stages. This will primarily pertain to property on the riverside of the flood protection levee as well as the backwater storage area in Northeastern Avoyelles Parish.

The following critical threshold levels will be changed as follows:

Atchafalaya River at Simmesport (SMML1)

Bankfull/Action Stage 35 feet

Flood Stage/Minor Flood 40 feet

Moderate flood Stage 44 feet

Major Flood Stage 50 feet

To get the latest information on the Atchafalaya River at Simmesport and other river forecast points, please visit our website at water.weather.gov and click on Central Louisiana. The Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service page provides current and forecast river information, warnings, gage locations, impacts, and historical crest information for 46 points in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.

WFO Lake Charles provides all the weather services for 22 counties and parishes in southeast Texas, southwest and central Louisiana. The WFO collects hydrometeorological data, prepares and disseminates weather forecasts, river and flood forecasts and warnings; and issues severe weather watches and warnings to the public. Additional information is available at www.weather.gov/lakecharles.

The LMRFC prepares river stage forecasts for the major rivers and creeks in the lower Mississippi River Valley. The river forecast center’s area of responsibility includes most of Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana, and parts of surrounding states including Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and northeast Texas.

Additional information is available at https://www.weather.gov/lmrfc/.