Spring Flood Outlook Missouri River Basin

The National Weather Service has released its update of the Spring Flood Outlook maps. Values are not given for the mainstem Lower Missouri River, but gives good information on tributaries. These maps reflect snowpack, soil moisture and existing runoff, but don't take into account precipitation. Some sources are predicting a wet spring so that will definitely affect the Missouri River.

Here's the link to the report, with probability maps

Here's an analysis for North Dakota tributaries.

Here's the text from the NWS report:

THIS SNOWMELT OUTLOOK IS FOR THE MISSOURI RIVER DRAINAGE WHICH
INCLUDES RIVERS IN MONTANA, WYOMING, COLORADO, NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH
DAKOTA, MINNESOTA, NEBRASKA, KANSAS, IOWA, AND MISSOURI.

Weather Service: Spring flooding likely in Midwest

 (Blogmasters note: the following article refers to the Spring Flood Potential Outlook issued by the National Weather Service. Click here to view. In summary, Upper Mississippi River is forecasted to experience major flooding - the greatest flood risk in past eight years. Missouri River forecast not as dire, but increasingly worse flood risk as you head upstream through NW Missouri.)

(UPDATE: Hydrologist Mark Fuchs (quoted in article below) added this comment in response to an email question: "Qualitatively, I would guess the Missouri may not be quite as primed for flooding from KC to St. Charles, as the Kansas River contribution should be relatively lower than average, since its drainage basin has been in moderate drought since last fall.  The Platte River in Nebraska won't contribute much, either.  The same will likely be true for the Osage and Gasconade out of southern Missouri. Comparing this to last spring, I would think the Missouri's spring flood chances would be comparable from Kansas City to St. Charles, though perhaps a little less thanks to the lack of contribution from Kansas, Nebraska, and southern Missouri.")


By The Associated Press
Published Thursday, February 3, 2011 in Jefferson City News-Tribune
http://www.newstribune.com/news/2011/feb/03/weather-service-spring-flooding-likely-midwest/

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A hydrologist for the National Weather Service warned Thursday that towns along the upper part of the Mississippi River could be in for significant flooding this spring.

The Weather Service’s St. Louis office released its Spring Flood Outlook last week, and the report was ominous. Tributaries are already running high, soil in northern states is saturated, and cold weather has kept snow from melting. Meanwhile, precipitation is expected to be above normal for February.