Fire Weather Concerns for the Plains; Record Warmth Spreads

Dry and breezy conditions prevail across the High Plains where elevated to locally critical conditions continue through today. Meanwhile, record warmth increases and spreads across the South, Southwest and into southern California into this last weekend of February. Meanwhile, a fast moving system moves across the central Plains then off the mid-Atlantic by this evening. Read More >

The Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center (LMRFC) provides forecasts for the lower sections of the Mississippi River. Forecasts on the Upper Mississippi River start at Chester, IL, and continue downstream to the confluence with the Ohio River. Forecasts on the Lower Ohio River start at Smithland Lock & Dam (Smithland, IL) and continue downstream to the confluence with the Upper Mississippi. Forecasts for the Lower Mississippi begin at the Ohio/Upper Mississippi confluence (just downstream of Cairo, IL) and continue downstream to New Orleans, LA. The Mississippi River is vital to commerce in the LMRFC area of forecast responsibility. Both high stages and low stages can cause significant impacts.