'Historic, unprecedented' flooding swamps southern USA; Mississippi and Tennessee hardest hit

These states have chosen to elect politicians who are not acting on climate disruption.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/02/17/mississippi-flooding-swamps-southern-us/4784911002/

Doyle Rice
Luke Ramseth
Wilton Jackson
USA TODAY
Feb. 17, 2020

Weeks of heavy rain have inundated a large portion of the southern U.S., bringing near-record flooding to portions of Mississippi and Tennessee.

In Jackson, Mississippi, hundreds of residents either watched their homes flood over the weekend or worried their residence would soon be drenched as the Pearl River crested Monday at 36.8 feet, its third-highest level ever recorded – behind only 1979 and 1983.

Calling the Jackson floods "historic" and "unprecedented," Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said in a Sunday press conference that "we do not anticipate this situation to end anytime soon. It will be days before we are out of the woods and the waters recede."

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The flooding is the result of a stubbornly damp weather pattern: February has seen "a constant stream of wet storms rolling across the Deep South," said AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Walker, who called it a "crazy month" for the amount of rain that's fallen across the region.

More wet weather is on the way: Rain showers were forecast to develop Monday night over the Mississippi River Valley, further saturating an already soggy South, the Weather Channel said.

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While the focus now is on the Jackson area, the heavy rains and flooding have affected a much larger swath of the state. State emergency management officials said they had received preliminary damage reports from 11 counties connected with the severe weather that hit the state starting Feb. 10.

In Tennessee, February’s rains have been “400% of normal, and we have more coming in this week," Tennessee Valley Authority spokesman Jim Hopson said. "It’s kind of a never-ending battle.

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The southern flooding could be a precursor to another disastrous year for flooding, especially in the central U.S.

In fact, there are troubling signs spring 2020 could bring a repeat of widespread flooding in the nation's midsection somewhat reminiscent of last year's massive event, the Weather Channel warned.

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Flooding last year in the Missouri, Mississippi and Arkansas River basins were responsible for 12 deaths and an estimated $20 billion in damage, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

tags: severe weather, extreme weather