Warm Temperatures Bring Relief from Cold, Heighten Concerns for Flooding

As winter releases its icy grip on the nation’s midsection, NOAA weather forecasters and hydrologists now contend with the possibility of significant flooding from rapid snow melt. Flooding and flash flooding are occurring now in several states from the plains of southeastern Colorado to central Indiana. A strong spring storm system moving east from the Pacific is expected to make conditions worse over the coming weekend. “Considerable snow pack developed over much of the central part of the country since late December,” said Mike Looney, chief of Services Division at the NOAA National Weather Service Central Region Headquarters in Kansas City, Mo. “Warmer temperatures over the past few days have really increased the rate of melting snow. The presence of saturated soils in many areas is compounded by the fact that the soil is frozen a few inches below the surface. Since frozen soil can’t absorb the moisture, it’s all turning to runoff.”

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