The City of Paducah is closing additional floodgates after the National Weather Service predicted that the Ohio River will surpass 50 feet.
Earlier this week, crews installed 14 floodgates as waters neared 50 feet. The NWS has updated their forecast crest, saying that the floodwaters will rise to 51 feet by Sunday morning.
Crews are closing nine more floodgates on Thursday and Friday in an effort to protect the city from flood waters up to 53 feet.
According to Public Information Officer Pam Spencer, beyond that additional floodgates would need to be installed to protect the city for up to 64 feet.
The city expects the 23 gates to be closed for several days. The forecast predicts waters to hold at a high level for more than a week with the latest forecast showing the Ohio River at Paducah dropping to below flood stage (39 feet) on March 14.
The river should start seeing a significant drop beginning March 12.
