NOAA Warns of Spring Flooding

NOAA released its spring flood risk assessment today -- stating that much of the Northeast and Midwest has a higher than average risk of flooding due to the combination of excessive rains of late plus melting snow farther north.   The highest risk areas are confined to the Upper Midwest, the Red River Valley, Mississippi River Valley, and around the Mid Atlantic...specifically North Jersey, the upper parts of the Delaware River basin (above Stroudsburg).   It shouldn't come as a surprise that we're in a heightened risk -- perhaps this is a bit of a captain obvious moment from NOAA considering we had a near miss on flooding one week ago at this time.   However, short of a prolonged "break" in precipitation the risk for some flooding along streams and rivers throughout the Delaware Valley is heightened.

The areas that are most at risk will be in Minnesota and the Dakotas -- partly because of all the snow these areas have received (top ten season at Minneapolis) but also because of the path of the Red River of the North.   This stream has its headwaters in North Dakota and flows northward.    That's not an issue in the summer, fall, or winter.  However, because snow persists to the north in the spring longer than it does in areas to the south flooding is an annual concern along the Red, with three major floods in the last sixty years and two since 1997.   The Mississippi is also at risk -- due to heavy rains in the Midwest but also the heavy snow pack in its watershed in Minnesota.  It could also see flooding on a par with 1997 (which was top 5-top 10 in Minnesota).