Weather Pattern Behind Current Mississippi River Flood Similar to 1993

The flooding that has inundated low-lying communities and farmland for miles along the Upper and Lower Mississippi River is due to a large, slow-moving storm system that was spawned nearly a month ago. “The flooding began when a critical weather pattern brought tornadoes, hail, damaging winds and large quantities of precipitation over the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys,” said Dr. Boyko Dodov, principal scientist at catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide. “This large, slow-moving system, spanning a period of almost a month, and encompassing several rainstorm events, has contributed to record accumulations of precipitation and major flooding in these regions.”