NATCHEZ — Increased rainfall in Arkansas for the next five days has pushed the expected crest date of the Mississippi river further back than originally predicted.

National Weather Service Senior Hydrologist Marty Pope said the river was predicted to be cresting today and Friday, but that the added rain is shaking up their original projections.

“It’s going to push it back further than what we originally thought,” Pope said. “They’ve left it at the same levels of crest, but we’ll have to wait and see once we see the rainfall on the ground.”

The stage of the river was 44.65 feet at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

The most recent expected forecast shows the river rising to 45.5 feet Tuesday.

Flood stage in Natchez is 48 feet, but no significant trouble is caused until the crest tops 50. However, the National Weather Service begins its “action stage” warning at 38 feet.

Last spring, the river broke all historical crest records, reaching 61.95 at Natchez.

The river is not expected to reach flood stage at Natchez this month.