The Tennessee River could rise to flood stage later this week as the area braces for up to 8 inches of rain.
Major flood stage is forecast in west Tennessee with high river conditions also expected in the Shoals in Alabama, according to the Tennessee Valley Authority. Property owners along the river should prepare for flood conditions, TVA said.
“Some of the heaviest rainfall we were expecting Tuesday has moved out a day and shifted west from what we expected,” said James Everett, senior manager for TVA’s River Forecast Center. “Even so, over the next five to seven days we are still looking for 5 to 6 inches in some parts of the Valley, and lesser amounts in the northeast Valley.
“With above average rainfall totals on already-saturated ground possible next week, we are moving lots of water through the system to create as much storage as possible in our reservoirs while also limiting flows to protect downstream areas.”
As of Monday night, the Tennessee River at Florence was at 17.57 feet with flood stage at 18 feet; Whitesburg was at 15.09 feet with flood stage at 17 feet.
The National Weather Service in Huntsville has issued a flood watch for Colbert, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marshall and Morgan counties from Tuesday morning through late Thursday night.
Flood warnings are in place for Paint Rock River near Woodville affecting Jackson, Madison and Marshall counties. As of Monday night, the river was at 14.2 feet and raising; flood stage is 15 feet. The river is expected to rise above flood state by daybreak Tuesday and crest near 16.5 feet by early Thursday afternoon.
Based on current levels, flooding levels along the Tennessee River could resemble the Christmas day floods of 2015, according to the National Weather Service. Worst case scenarios have flooding at levels seen in 2003.