Spring flooding outlook less likely due to lack of snow

Forecasters with the National Weather Service La Crosse said that the likelihood of flooding this spring isn’t high for the Coulee Region.

In a report issued Tuesday, Jordan Wendt, a Service Hydrologist with the National Weather Service said the outlook for flooding is below normal.

A below-normal snowpack for this time of year is the main reason behind that outlook.

The report also stated other factors that led them to their conclusion is that soil moisture is below normal and that there are areas that are still experiencing “abnormally dry to moderate” drought conditions.

The lack of snow, however, could play a role when it comes to the potential for spring flooding.

One condition the weather service monitors is the depth of the frost.

With little snow, the report said frost went much deeper than normal this season. When the snow starts melting, a deep frost can limit water absorption into the ground which could increase the possibility of more runoff into waterways increasing the risk of flooding.

There were words of caution in the report. If we get more snow or precipitation, especially when what snow we do have begins to melt, flooding risk rises.

Snow in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, once it melts, isn’t expected to affect streams and rivers in the region, according to the report.

Those areas, too, are affected by similar drought conditions we have here.

The Weather Service updates the flood outlook at the end of February and again in mid-March.