Threat For Spring Flooding Remains High
The National Weather Service released its second spring flood outlook on Thursday. It shows that many rivers and streams, especially the Mississippi, are at risk for moderate to severe flooding this spring.
KCRG reports that there are a number of factors that could lead to spring flooding. One is the current snowpack in Iowa and other areas of the midwest. There is still an inch or two of liquid in the snow in Northeast Iowa. Another factor is soil moisture. The amount of water still in the soil is very high. That means that the ground simply can't absorb snowmelt or rainfall.
Streamflow, or how much water is currently running through the rivers, is also high meaning it won't take much additional water to cause flooding concerns. One piece of good news is that there isn't much frost in the ground. Deeply frozen ground causes snowmelt and rain to run right into streams and rivers.
Here are some of the flood chances for rivers in Eastern Iowa based on historical averages. You can find more averages HERE.
Mississippi River (Dubuque)
Minor-greater than 95% (avg. is 52%)
Moderate-greater than 95% (avg. is 44%)
Major-greater than 90% (avg. is 13%)
Cedar River (Cedar Rapids)
Minor-28% (avg. is 28%)
Moderate-21% (avg. is 16%
Major-9% (avg. is 8%)