UPDATED: Alabama River forecast to be highest since 1990
Published 5:27 pm Saturday, December 26, 2015
The Sand Bar restaurant at the Selma City Marina had flooded by Sunday morning.
If that stage is indeed met, it will be the highest the river has been since major flooding in 1990.
As of 11 a.m. Sunday, the river was estimated to be at 47.72 feet. The water was as low as 23 feet on Wednesday.
From 30-to-45 feet, pastureland below Selma becomes flooded. Anything higher becomes a threat to homes and businesses downstream.
The Sand Bar restaurant at the Selma City Marina was an island Saturday due to the rising river and was flood by Sunday morning.
Bloch Park.
The Times-Journal had no other reports of damage or evacuations Saturday. Attempts to reach the Dallas County EMA were unsuccessful.
Recent floods include 48.97 feet on April 2, 2015, 46.80 feet on April 10, 2014, and 45.99 feet on March 14, 2010.
Many people remember the 57.45 feet reached on March 21, 1990. The river hit near that again on April 8, 1986. Those are the second and third worst floods in Selma’s history.
According to the National Weather Service, the high water mark since records started being kept in 1890 is 58.35 feet on March 1, 1961. A sign at Bloch Park marks that historic flood that reached Broad Street downtown.
Edmund Pettus Bridge.
Across Alabama, residents are cleaning up from historic flash flooding and at least two tornadoes in Jefferson and Tuscaloosa counties.
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley announced Saturday he would visit weather-damaged areas in Coffee County, including flood-prone Elba.
A statement from the governor’s office said about 190 roads across Alabama were closed due to flooding.
On Saturday, National Weather Service crews were out investigating damage near Coaling and Midfield.
A preliminary survey shows an EF-2 tornado with 130 mile per hour winds touched down near Midfield.
