May, 2011

On May 10,2011, the Mississippi River at Memphis, Tennessee crested at 48.03 feet as reported by the National Weather Service.  The flood was the second highest in recorded history, topped only by the flood of 1937.  Many homes were flooded on the outskirts of the city;  Riverside Drive and the west end of  Beale St., and Tom Lee Park were flooded;   much of Mud Island Park was submerged.   Here is my post from May 29.   And here is a slideshow of photos I took during the flood:

October, 2011

The River was at a low ebb on October 13, 2011 – 0.10 feet on the Memphis Gauge –  48 feet lower vertically than in May, the difference in height equivalent to a 4 story building.  In the next few days the river stage dropped to -2 feet before starting to rise some.  Zero does not mean the River is empty – that is just the benchmark for low water, a point that navigation can be affected.  The record low water at Memphis was -10.7 feet in 1988.  The River and riverfront look quite different at low water.  The cobblestone bank runs out, sandbars, and river current control structures, pile and rock dikes are clearly visible.  Seeing the river at this low stage, it’s hard to even imagine what it looked like in May.  Here is a slide show: