UPDATE -- QT Weather’s latest reports shows that the Missouri River at Omaha has now surpassed the stage of the Great Flood of 1993, but remains far from the all time record set in 1952. Unwelcomed flood records will continue to be set from Montana to Illinois through July, but most importantly lives will be severely affected beyond the property and farmland lost.
Over the next 5 days — abnormal rainfall will continue across Montana and the western Dakotas, further adding to the flood miseries on the Missouri. -- UPDATE
Persistent Northern Plains rainfall and heavy mountain snowpack is setting the stage for the worst flooding on the Missouri River since 1993, reports Allen Motew, QT Weather meteorologist. These extreme levels of flooding are predicted to last for at least the next month.
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“The entire Missouri River Basin is flooding – only to get worse over the next several weeks,” Motew reports. “Abnormal rainfall is now expected to continue (or increase for many) across 1000’s of miles and millions of acres over the next eight days, from Alberta to Ohio.”
Motew says recent reports show that the Missouri River is closed to vessels in Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri and that 500,000 acres of farmland may soon be flooded.
The National Weather Service’s latest statement has flood warnings for these rivers in Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa:
- Missouri River near Greenwood
- Missouri River near Verdel
- Missouri River at Niobrara
- Missouri River at Springfield
- Missouri River at Yankton
- Missouri River near Gayville
- Missouri River near Maskell
- Missouri River near Ponca
- Missouri River at South Sioux City
NWS says record high releases will continue at all of the Missouri River reservoirs in South Dakota for the next several weeks.
Looking Back at 1993
Motew says, meteorologically speaking, the current flood it is not like the Great Floods of 1993. “But the result may be similar or even worse,” he says.
Abnormal late spring rains are now expected to occur during the next 8 days over the Corn Belt. Motew says these rains will increase the numerous local and wide-scale problems associated with the early stages of the unfolding flood scenario that is forecast to last through July.
Adding Fuel to the Fire
On Tuesday, heavy rains again fell across the Missouri River Basin, which added to the already drenched areas. The Northern Rockies and Upper Missouri River Basin has seen 2 to 6 times normal rainfall in the past 30 days.
On Friday, Motew predicts, an upper low system will move across North Dakota and the Missouri River Basin. This weekend, rains will stretch from Alberta, Montana and Saskatchewan to Ohio with the heaviest seen in Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois.
Trouble for North Dakota Producers
Thousands of homeowners are piling sandbags and building dikes to hold back the surging water in North Dakota, farmers and ranchers are also taking steps to prevent huge losses. Watch
AgDay's report:
For More Information
Check out the latest weather reports and analysis from expert meteorologist Allen Motew of QT Weather.
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