5/20/2024
WT Staff
HAPPENING NOW
Monday May 20, 2024
Moderate drought grips St Lawrence River watershed
May 20, 2024 1037 am EDT
Current Streamflow Situation
A mix of normal and below normal streamflow ratings arc across the NYS map from the south west to the northeast, down into the central drainage basin. Above normal streamflows persist in the northwest through the Lake Ontario minor tributaries west and Lower Genesee River watershed. Niagara - Lake Erie watershed runs predominantly normal Monday. From the southwest Allegheny River watershed one station records below normal, east of the Genesee River valley into the Chemung River watershed there are two stations below normal, Susquehanna, Delaware and Ramapo River watersheds running normal to below normal. Interior NYS is an even mix of normal and below normal flow ratings. Up into the northeast state, the Black River, St. Lawrence River are mostly below normal with five stations recorded much below normal and an extreme low, 1st percentile in the Raquette River System of the St. Lawrence River watershed. Lake Champlain watershed presents with two stations below normal. The Upper Hudson River records two flows below normal, followed by the next station downstream running above normal. Mohawk River is rated above normal from the first monitor in the upper channel running normal along the main channel to the Hudson River junction. The Schoharie Creek and feeder streams run north to the Mohawk River draining the west side of the Catskills, recording one much below normal value, the remainder observing below normal to normal flows. Long Island flows continue to run normal to above normal.
Drought Map
7-day average streamflows from the USGS monitoring network in NYS
Moderate drought rating is applied along the Raquette and Oswegatchie River channels through the St. Lawrence River watershed. Continuing with the below normal rating, Niagara River - Lake Erie watershed is marked on the drought map in the third of Chautauqua County parallel to the Lake Erie shoreline. Black River, St Lawrence River, Lake Ontario minor tributaries east, Upper Hudson River watershed retains the below normal rating Monday.
WT USA Flows and Flood Tracker provisional data from the network of USGS streamflow monitors
Sixty-five streamflow gauges record flooding in the USA Monday, down from seventy-two Sunday. WT tracks the nation's most common natural disaster dynamics through the states of New York, Ohio, Georgia and Louisiana. As of this report, twenty-one sites record flooding on the network: eight in Georgia, thirteen in Louisiana.
Georgia: All stations reporting flooding Sunday continue to run over their channels Monday morning, from Gulf of Mexico basin's Ochlockonee River recorded flooding at GA188 near Coolidge and downstream near Concord, FL. Withlachoochee River is up a foot overnight, flooding continues at Skipper Bridge Rd near Bemiss and at US84 near Quitman. In the Atlantic basin, Satilla River is still running over flood stage at GA158 near Waycross, to the east, Alabaha River floods on at GA203 near Blackshear and Little Satilla River is overflowing by close to a foot near Offerman. Savannah River is also up overnight, running a foot and a half above the channel near Cylo. See black tags indicating flow volume and gauge height, blue tags for 99th percentile flows updated daily here.
Louisiana holds a steady pattern of flooding, thirteen of the same flood events continue Monday with one station receding overnight. Bayou des Cannes tucked back under flood stage around 1030 pm last night at LA-190 near Eunice. Flooding carries on in Region 1 with Bayou Bodcau down below the three foot flooding of the basin near Shreveport. In Region 2, Little River runs between six and seven inches over flood stage near Rochelle. Region 4's border Sabine River is nine inches out of the channel near Burkeville, high water level near Bon Wier recorded at five feet, four inches above the channel. As of this report, the flow has leveled out at four and a half feet above the channel. Downstream on the Sabine River, the flooding is recorded more than three and a half feet above the channel near Ruliff. Calcasieu River continues to flood through the whole channel with data collected on three stations, the upper flow measured two feet above the channel near Glenmora, trending level in moderate flood stage near Oberlin and three feet over the channel near Kinder. Tributary Ouiska Chitto continues to flood near Oberlin. Watershed Region 5 flooding carries on at LA-190, Bayou Nezpique flooding near Basile with Mermentau River half a foot over at Mermentau. In Region 7, Pearl River runs over near Bogulusa, running less than two feet over downstream at the Town of Pearl River. See black tags indicating flow volume and gauge height, blue tags for 99th percentile flows updated daily here.
As many drinking water facilities are supplied from surface water reservoirs, the streamflow situation is pertinent to both drinking water supply and quality. High flows can stir up sediment and cause turbidity in the reservoirs, requiring additional treatments to render the water potable. Low flow volume is linked to warmer temperatures in the reservoir and can be an issue for water quality where HABs are present. WT tracks streamflow trends with an eye to the impacts on drinking water supply and quality in each of the state's watersheds. Check the watershed layer on the map to see the direction of flow and streamflows that may be impacting drinking water today.
USGS Provisional Data Statement
Data are provisional and subject to revision until they have been thoroughly reviewed and received final approval. Current condition data relayed by satellite or other telemetry are automatically screened to not display improbable values until they can be verified.
Provisional data may be inaccurate due to instrument malfunctions or physical changes at the measurement site. Subsequent review based on field inspections and measurements may result in significant revisions to the data.
Data users are cautioned to consider carefully the provisional nature of the information before using it for decisions that concern personal or public safety or the conduct of business that involves substantial monetary or operational consequences. Information concerning the accuracy and appropriate uses of these data or concerning other hydrologic data may be obtained from the USGS.
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