Hunter
02/12/21
With 8 to 20 inches of snow on the ground in the area, the fear of heavy flooding as the thaw occurs is widespread. But the National Weather Service says not to worry.
In their report Thursday, the NWS says the risk of flooding on the Cedar and Iowa rivers this spring is at or below normal.
The Gazette reports that compared to the historical average, the Cedar at Cedar Rapids has a 7 percent chance of major flood stage; this year, they predict a 5 percent chance. Minor or moderate flood stage likelihoods are also below normal.
In Iowa City, the Iowa River is on par with historical risks of flooding, less than five percent.
Meteorologists say although there’s lots of snow here, lighter snowfall in the North so far reduces the risk of flooding here. Regions that would feed the Des Moines, Cedar, Iowa, Wapsipinicon and Mississippi rivers have below normal snowfall and liquid water content in the snowpack.
In Thursday’s report, the National Weather Service says that the area from Northern Iowa into Central Wisconsin is reporting snow totals between 5 and 10 inches below normal. In addition, a mild December and January temperature wise kept the ground from freezing, and the recent snowfalls have prevented deep frost in the ground.
The Service will update their forecasts in about two weeks, and again on March 11th.