National weather service in Duluth predicts spring flooding risks for the Northland

With eight inches (or so) of recent wet snow dumped across the region on March 22, winter is hanging on for all of its worth.

But all that snow will cause potential problems if it melts fast, says the National Weather Service in Duluth.

With most river basins near record water levels in the snowpack, the National Weather Service in Duluth states, “The potential for spring flooding across the Northland is above normal. There is a very high amount of water in the snowpack across the region, with the north shore, east-central Minnesota, and all of northwest Wisconsin currently ranking in the top 10 percent of historical snow water measurements. As a result, spring flooding is possible for much of the Northland, with the probability for Moderate flooding on the Mississippi River at Aitkin greater than 95 percent.”

As of March 23, 125.4 inches of snow have fallen in the Duluth area, the sixth-highest total since records were kept starting in 1885. With snow in the forecast, the all-time record set in 1995-96 of 135.4 inches could be attainable this year.

The late March report from the Duluth weather office adds,

“We are expecting a worse-than-normal spring flooding season – areas that have experienced spring flooding problems in the past are likely to experience problems again this spring.

Note that spring flooding is highly dependent on our weather pattern in the coming 6-8 weeks. A cool and dry pattern could lead to less flooding, while a wet and warm pattern could push the risk for flooding higher.”