For the first time, daily river forecasts and flood stage information from the nation's largest river basins are now available on a single Internet site thanks to the NOAA's National Weather Service. The Weather Service' s new River Watch home page, a service even more crucial as various parts of the nation are gripped with drought.

"This new `one stop' Web site provides almost instant access to river data within the Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio River Basins," said retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Jack Kelly, National Weather Service director. "The new site combines river information from more than a dozen weather service offices and makes them available to anyone with access to the Internet."

According to Kelly, accurate and up-to-date information on river levels is of great importance to the general public, as well as barge companies and other navigation interests on the many waterways covered by River Watch.

Because River Watch was designed to provide more than flood forecasts it is equally beneficial during droughts, according to Kelly. "With drought conditions affecting various parts of the country, reliable river forecasts are crucial as people can monitor the exact levels necessary for their particular activities," Kelly noted.

River Watch contains water level data, flood stage parameters, and forecasts for all of the Mississippi River Basin's main stem rivers including the Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri rivers, as well as the upper and lower Mississippi.

For more details and the actual forecasts, log onto River Watch at http://www.riverwatch.noaa.gov