WILLMAR — The season’s second flood forecast by the National Weather Service continues to show the risk to be average or normal for this time, according to the report issued Thursday.
The snowpack remains within 25% of normal in most of the state’s river basins. The only exception is the headwaters for the Mississippi River, where snowfall is running 50 to 75% above normal.
For the Minnesota River system, all of the main factors that influence the flood probability are within normal parameters. River levels, soil moisture, frost depth and the water contained in the snowpack are all fairly close to normal, according to the report.
Montevideo remains as the location with the highest risk for flooding in the Minnesota River basin, but that risk is average for this time of year.
There is about an 85% chance of reaching minor flood stage in Montevideo, based on current conditions. There is a 17% probability of reaching major flood stage, which is above the normal of about 10%.
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The Weather Service cautions that, as is always the case, “much will be determined by what happens with our temperatures and rainfall/snowfall in March and early April.”
At this point, there are no forecasts for major storm events in the upcoming week and the long-range forecast for March shows a slight increase in the probability for warmer than normal temperatures, according to the report.
