Major floods forcing evacuations from North Dakota to Missouri
Posted by feww on June 23, 2011
Missouri, Souris River floods forcing community evacuations from North Dakota to Missouri
Communities from North Dakota to Missouri have begun mandatory evacuations, as the severity of Missouri and Souris River flooding increases.
Precipitation Map from Last 60 Days (April 22 – June 21). The upper Missouri River Basin (Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota and Nebraska) has received 100 to 800 percent of normal precipitation during the past several weeks. Snow pack runoff entering the upper portion of the river system is more than twice the normal amount. Click image to enter NWS CRH page.
“Sirens signaling the need for immediate evacuation began sounding around 10 a.m. today in Minot, N.D., as some levees began to fail in the city of 40,888. City officials had alerted residents in at-risk areas to be ready for immediate evacuation today. Local radio and television broadcasters relayed the message that those in evacuation zones needed to leave those areas at once.” National Weather Service (NWS) said.
“In the southern part of the flooded Missouri River channel, the 283 residents of Craig, Mo., have also been ordered to evacuate to higher ground. Some levees protecting the town have already failed, and the heaviest Missouri River flows haven’t reached that area yet.”
Missouri basin reservoirs from eastern Montana t0 the Dakotas are approaching their capacity. “Reservoir water release rates are expected to stay at high release levels (150,000 cfs) into August. These extremely high flows, combined with normal rainfall, will result in near-record flooding along portions of the Missouri River.”
Map of the Missouri River. The Missouri River begins in southern Montana in the Rocky Mountains, first flowing north then generally southeast across the heart of the United States, ending at the Mississippi River, just to the north of St. Louis, Missouri. Some 4,023 km (2,500 miles) long, it is the longest river in the United States. Source: NWS CRH
Currently 17 stream gauge sites in the United States are at Major Flooding levels, with 38 gauges at Moderate Flood, 107 gauges at Minor Flood and 154 gauges at Near Flood.
US Flood Map 1
US Flood Map 2
Legend
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