NATCHEZ — The Miss-Lou was in high-powered, sand-pouring, flood-planning mode Thursday, as the Mississippi River at Natchez stood at 53.1 feet.

The river rose 0.8 feet since Wednesday, Jackson National Weather Service Senior Meteorologist Mike Edmonston said.

Edmonston said the river is still expected to crest at 64 feet May 22.

Edmonston said Thursday rainfall is not forecasted to occur in areas affecting the Mississippi River between today and Sunday.

Severe weather predictions for the first half of next week in the Ohio River and Red River valleys, northern Mississippi and in Missouri will affect the river in Natchez only if the severity of the storms refers to rain.

“Severe (weather) is not necessarily heavy rainfall,” Edmonston said.

Hail, winds and tornadoes, for example, are considered severe weather, but those conditions do not require rainfall, he said.

Edmonston said the NWS will track weather north of Natchez and continue to use it to calculate the predicted crest.

But those forecasts are too far ahead to predict how it will affect the river crest in Natchez, he said.

Concordia Parish is continuing its preparation efforts for the projected record-breaking river levels with work on the riverfront and a section of the levee near Louisiana 15 still under way.

Concordia Parish Police Jury President Melvin Ferrington said up to this point, the levees are looking strong enough to hold back the waters.

“We have been in constant contact with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and they are still telling us that the levees are in good shape,” he said. “We have confidence that the levees will hold and everything will be fine.”

Ferrington said the only spot of the levee seeing any work is the area on Louisiana 15.

“They are just putting up some more Hesco barriers to add to the height of the lower lying parts of the levee,” he said. ‘They should be complete with that project in about 10 days.”

Ferrington said the process is a simple one, and so far there have been no causes for concern for the levee from that area.

“They are just trying to give it a little more room to work with,” he said.

Ferrington said the riverfront in Vidalia is still dry, but water is expected to touch ground in the next few days.

“There are still a few more days of dry ground left, and we are confident that the efforts on the riverfront are going to hold up against the water,” he said. “We are going to continue to work as fast as we can to get everything up.”

Ferrington said parish officials are also on the lookout for sand boils.

A sand boil occurs when water forces its way under the levee and displaces the soil. When a sand boil comes to the surface, a pressure well of sandbags is built around the boil until the water pressure is equalized and stops displacing soil from under the levee.

Ferrington said sand boils located behind Lake St. John on the Tensas/Concordia Parish line, one on private property just south of Vidalia, one near Lake Bruin, one in Madison Parish and one near Tallulah are the only sand boils parish officials have heard about, and they are not a cause for concern.

“None of these are at a cause for real concern,” he said. “We have people out there working on them as we speak, and there are no reports of concern.”

Ferrington said parish residents need to remember to stay informed and to not panic.

“We are not trying to upsize or downsize anything. We are just giving the facts,” he said. “I know this is a lot of discomfort for everyone, because we are going through a tough time, but everything is looking like it will be OK.”

In Natchez, sandbags held back an estimated five feet of water today at the lowest dip of Silver Street near the Isle of Capri casino.

The Isle of Capri announced Thursday the casino will close at 3 a.m. Saturday, a day before the closure was previously set.

Silver Street was closed to through-traffic Thursday until waters recede. Two-way traffic on Silver Street is accessible using the Magnolia Grill parking lot as a turn-around.

Silver Street is not accessible by D.A. Biglane Street.

City Engineer David Gardner advised residents against driving on Silver Street unless they plan to conduct business.