The incredible stretch of rainy weather that set a February rainfall record ended Saturday night, but it will take some time to dry out!
Some river flooding continues: The Tennessee River at Whitesburg and Florence have already crested and will slowly fall through the weekend. Additional rainfall this week will not have much impact on flooding on the Tennessee; there’s also no real concern of more flash flooding on the tributaries like the Elk River, Flint River, or the Paint Rock River.
Florence’s crest was the third-highest on record at 28.99 feet. The record is 32.50 feet on March 19, 1897.
Whitesburg’s crest was 22.91 feet; that’s the ninth-highest on record. The record there is 26.10 feet on March 19, 1973.
For the latest river level information, click the links below.
Tennessee River at Florence via Lower Mississippi River Valley Forecast Center
Tennessee River at Whitesburg via Lower Mississippi River Valley Forecast Center
Floodwaters’ lasting impacts
WHNT News 19’s Carter Watkins reports floodwater was touching Alabama Highway 20 from Saturday night through Monday morning. The Florence Lauderdale Tourism Office was also surrounded by flood waters, as seen in the video below.
According to the National Weather Service, the Tennessee River at Florence crested Sunday afternoon at a height of 29-feet. The river is forecasted to stay well above flood stage for most of the upcoming week. This is said to be the second worst flood at Florence since TVA began flood control in the valley. In addition, data from the National Weather Service indicates that this recent flooding even is the the third worst since 1897.
In addition to the extensive flood damage, many roads and schools remain closed. Click here for the list of school closures, and click here for the list of road closures.