NEW ORLEANS — After heavy rains swelled the Pearl River in central Mississippi, water levels at the river's banks on the Northshore are expected to rise through the weekend.
The National Weather Service forecasts the Pearl River will crest at near-record levels this weekend at points near Bogalusa, the town of Pearl River and Slidell.
Near Bogalusa, the river is expected to crest at 22.5 feet on Tuesday, Feb. 25. This would be the highest is has risen since the March flood of 2016 when it crested at 22.75 feet. Additionally, this would also be the 4th highest level in history. These river levels could cause property east of Highway 21 along the Bogalusa Creek to flood. The Bogue Chitto Wildlife Management area will also see some flooding with water in recreational camps and over access roads.
Downstream near the town of Pearl River and Slidell, the river is expected to crest at 19 feet Wednesday, Feb. 26. This would be the highest the river has risen since the March 2016 flood, and the 9th highest level in history. Forecasters say this could cause flooding in the River Gardens and Magnolia Forest subdivisions. Areas south of Interstate 10 and east of Military Road will be threatened with flooding. The Indian Village Road access to the River Oaks subdivision will be underwater in several places.
The river is expected to crest at both locations at its highest level since March 2016. The river is forecast to slowly fall to below flood stage in early March as long as more heavy rain does not fall upriver in Mississippi.
The record level for both locations is 23.3 feet at Bogalusa (1979) and 21 feet at Pearl River (1983).
The rise of the Pearl River is from more than 6-10+ inches of rain that fell across the river's watershed in central Mississippi so far in February. The river is forecast to crest in Jackson, Miss., at 37.5 feet Monday - the third-highest crest in history.
Jackson has also picked up 19.88 inches of rain so far this year, which is 12.15 inches above normal.
All of the rainwater across central Mississippi drains into the Pearl River. The Pearl River goes through the Ross Barnett Reservoir and it is currently full. Over the weekend, Pearl River Valley Water Supply District officials released extra water to reduce pressure on the reservoir. That water will continue downriver along the Louisiana/Mississippi border.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.
