Many of us travel back and forth across the Mississippi River without giving the mighty waters much thought. It’s just a big obstacle we have to cross to get from one side of our community to another.

In Natchez, at least, the river is a pretty sight but poses little threat as the city sits high atop the bluff.

However, across the river in Concordia Parish and in low-lying areas of Adams County, the river can be more of a nuisance, occasionally even a threat.

Each spring, we’re reminded of the river’s might as she swells in the banks, inching closer and closer with each passing day until the waters crest.

This year will be no different, though we hope the levels will fall short of last year’s near-record high.

Forecasters predict the river will reach the 53-foot mark on the Natchez gauge next Thursday, approximately five feet above flood stage. Last year the river swelled to nine feet above flood stage.

The staggering amount of water that passes by each minute illustrates the awesome power of the river.

Today, for example, forecasters predict the flow rate of the river will be approximately 1.4 million cubic feet per second. That’s an incredible amount of water, especially when you put that figure into more common terms — like gallons or even bathtubs filled with water.

As you look at the river this week, consider that each second you gaze at the river, approximately 10.4 million gallons of water or more than 250,000 bathtubs full surge past.

Let’s never forget the mighty power of the Mississippi, give it a wide berth when it’s swelled with floodwaters and respect the men and women of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who are bound to keep the river in its banks.