Torrential rain in parts of Mississippi: Will the Pearl River flood at Jackson?

Torrential rain fell on parts of Mississippi on Thursday, and that has left many people wondering if the Pearl River will flood as it has in the past.

"Some places got 12 inches," said Ross Barnett Reservoir general manager John Sigman. "That's a lot."

As devastating as rainfall like that can be, Sigman said not all of it fell in areas that drain into the Pearl River.

"The worst of the flooding, as far as I can tell, was around Louisville," Sigman said. "We don't get all the drainage from Winston County. We get part of it from Louisville, but not all of it."

So, while there is a significant rise expected for the Pearl River at Jackson and below, it isn't expected to near the 28-foot flood stage on the Jackson gauge.

How high will the Pearl River get?

"We just got our projections from Slidell," Sigman said. "They're predicting a peak Wednesday. We'll slowly increase our discharge over the next week."

Sigman said the peak discharge at the spillway will be 19,000 cubic feet per second and the National Weather Service is forecasting the river will reach 23 feet on the Jackson gauge at that time.

"That's really not a big deal for us," Sigman said.

Sigman said while there is more rain in the forecast for the Pearl River drainage, it isn't expected to have a significant impact at this point.

"There is more rain coming, but from what I can see, it's going to be less than an inch for us."

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Will the Pearl River flood? Here's what you need to know