Mississippi
Mississippi River flood: Map shows where roads could be closed “for days”
A prolonged and dangerous flood event is unfolding along the Mississippi River, where heavy rain that fell this month across the Ohio and Mississippi river basins have pushed the waterway to critical levels, prompting road closures, emergency preparations and warnings to residents.
Why It Matters
The Mississippi River is a critical transportation route for agricultural and industrial goods, and high water levels are affecting river navigation and barge movement.
AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski reported that “some of the ports along the river below St. Louis may be closed due to high water,” and that tugboats will have to move with reduced loads because of increased flow speed and reduced bridge clearance.
Beyond economic concerns, tens of thousands of residents in unprotected lowlands are at risk of prolonged inundation. Levees are being tested across multiple states.
AccuWeather
What To Know
Communities in Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana are bracing for flooding expected to persist throughout the month. In Vicksburg, Mississippi, the river is projected to crest at 48 feet around April 21, according to forecasts. Farther south in Natchez, Mississippi, peak flood levels may not occur until April 22, with recovery efforts likely continuing into next month. Officials in several counties have begun closing roads and building temporary flood walls to protect homes and businesses.
“We are going to have numerous streets and roads close, including Highway 465 that runs between Highway 61 North and the Eagle Lake community,” Warren County Emergency Management Agency Director John Elfer told Jackson, Mississippi, news station WLBT.
In some of the hardest-hit areas, road closures could last “for days,” AccuWeather reported.
“When we close streets and roads, not only is it illegal but it’s dangerous for folks and motorists to bypass those barricades,” Elfer said.
Storms from April 2 to 6 damaged more than 300 homes across Mississippi, injured seven people and left one dead, according to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
In Greenville, Mississippi, the river is expected to crest at 52.5 feet on April 22. Power outages and business shutdowns are anticipated as water threatens ports and grain terminals. In Natchez, similar threats loom with flooding already making roads like Carthage Point impassable.
According to AccuWeather, “as the lower end of the Ohio crests into this weekend and begins to recede during the following couple of weeks, waters will slowly rise farther downstream.”
Areas from Osceola, Arkansas, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, are on alert, with crests not expected until late April and water levels possibly not falling back to normal until mid-May.
What People Are Saying
AccuWeather senior meteorologist Bob Smerbeck told Newsweek: “We still have a long way to go, the lower Ohio Valley is cresting this weekend, so it’s going to take a while to get into the lower Mississippi River.
“I think the weather is going to work out in the flooding’s favor, at least through the weekend. There’s some isolated storms right now, mainly east of the Mississippi and parts of Tennessee and Mississippi, but it’s very light and isolated, so we don’t expect much of a problem from those.
“Multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms next weekend could possibly linger into the following week.”
Warren County EMA Director John Elfer told WLBT: “This is not the first time we’ve seen 48 [feet]. We saw 57.2 back in 2011 and that was a big one. We don’t anticipate that this time. Forty-eight is a moderate flood.”
What Happens Next
As the flood wave continues moving south, officials warn that the situation could worsen if additional storms hit the region. While forecasters see a brief period of drying across the Tennessee and Ohio valleys, further rain mid-next week could add to flood risks.
GEORGE COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) — A George County High School senior is dead after an SUV hit him while bicycling on Highway 26 Friday night.
Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP) officials said at 8:15 p.m. the MHP responded to a fatal crash on Highway 26 in George County.
Those officials said a Ford SUV traveling west on Highway 26 collided with 18-year-old Tyree Bradley of McLain, Mississippi, who was bicycling.
Bradley was fatally injured and died at the scene, MHP officials said.
The crash remains under investigation by the MHP.
See a spelling or grammar error in this story? Report it to our team HERE.
Copyright 2026 WLOX. All rights reserved.
Some losses feel like they drag on longer than the box score suggests, and Mississippi State’s 3-1 opener at Texas A&M fits that category.
It wasn’t a blowout. It wasn’t a game where the Bulldogs looked outmatched.
It was just one of those nights where the early mistakes stuck around and the offense never quite found the swing that could shake them loose.
The frustrating part is how quickly the hole formed. Two solo homers and a wild pitch in the first two innings put Mississippi State behind 3-0, and that was basically the ballgame.
Against a top tier SEC team on the road, spotting three runs that early is a tough ask. The Bulldogs didn’t fold, but they also didn’t cash in when the door cracked open.
“I liked our fight. I think we’re really just working through some things offensively, and trying to stay together,” Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts said. “This team still believes, and we’re going to battle and fight every chance we get, and I think I saw a lot of that. I’m encouraged for what that means for us moving forward, but, you know, they’re a good hitting team, and we’ve got to be able to shut them down early. I don’t think Peja [Goold] had her best stuff, but she continued to battle out there and find ways to get outs.”
They had chances. Two runners stranded in the fifth. Two more in the sixth. Another in the seventh. Des Rivera finally got the Bulldogs on the board with an RBI single, but the big hit that usually shows up for this lineup never arrived.
It wasn’t a lack of traffic. It was a lack of finish.
If there was a bright spot, it came from the bullpen. Delainey Everett gave Mississippi State exactly what it needed after the rocky start.
“That was just a huge relief appearance by Delaney to keep us in it,” Ricketts said. “It’s really good to have her back and healthy these last few weeks because these are the moments where we really need her and rely on her. We know that she’s going to be a big part of the remainder of the season going forward as well.”
Three hitless innings, one baserunner, and a reminder that she’s quietly putting together a strong stretch.
There were individual positives too. Nadia Barbary keeps climbing the doubles list. Kiarra Sells keeps finding ways on base.
But the bigger picture is simple. Mississippi State is now 6-10 in the SEC, and the margin for error is shrinking. Nights like this one are the difference between climbing back into the race and staying stuck in the middle.
They get another shot this morning with the schedule bumped up for weather. The formula isn’t complicated.
Clean up the early innings, keep getting quality relief, and find one or two timely swings. The Bulldogs didn’t get them Friday. They’ll need them today.
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Mississippi
Mississippi farmers struggle through years without profit as war with Iran deepens crisis
YAZOO COUNTY, Miss. — Mississippi Delta farmers are facing another expensive planting season as fertilizer and fuel costs continue to climb.
Farmers in Yazoo and Sharkey counties, Clay Adcock and Jeffrey Mitchell, said it has been years since their crops turned a real profit.
“I guess it would be since 2022,” Adcock said.
“Last 2.5 to three years since we had a very profitable year,” Mitchell said.
Rising input costs squeeze farmers
Adcock said he was paying $300 per ton of fertilizer before the war with Iran broke out. He is now paying double for the same amount. Mitchell saw similar spikes.
“Fertilizer was up 25% before the Iranian conflict already,” Mitchell said. “Then since that started Diesel fuel is up 40% in the last six months.”
Survey and research from the American Farm Bureau show they are not the only ones feeling the pinch.
“We’ve got trouble with the farming community,” Adcock said. “And you can see that with the bankruptcies that are there and no young farmers that can afford the capital to get started.”
Mitchell said today’s farmers face a shrinking industry of suppliers. 75% of all fertilizer in the U.S. comes from four companies: Yara USA, CF Industries, Nutrien and Koch Industries.
“With the world market on fertilizer, pretty much everyone has the same price,” Mitchell said. “It’s not like you can go to store B, get a better price.”
forces
Oil and natural gas cut off in the Strait of Hormuz forces energy companies worldwide to compete for less supply. The spike in costs passes on to fertilizer producers, who pass higher prices on to distributors, leaving family farms at the end of the line with the most expensive bills.
“They deliver it to us and we’re at their mercy,” Adcock said.
Adcock said he would like to see more regulation to even the playing field among fertilizer companies and prevent potential price gouging.
“There should be guiderails in place to keep fertilizer producers within a range and if they get out of that range it throws up red flags as they do in the SEC with stocks,” Adcock said. “Have some consistency in our business.”
Mitchell said the costs will circle back to consumers at the store. The spike in diesel also increases the cost of transporting finished crops after harvest to stores.
“Everything will be higher once it gets to Kroger or Wal-Mart or wherever,” Mitchell said. “They’ll just pass it onto consumers.”
It is too early to tell what the final prices will look like once harvest season is over. Each farmer said one way consumers can help is to buy as much produce as possible directly from farmers at markets and buy American items.
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