Snow has state officials concerned about spring floods

March 07-- Mar. 7--All that snow might seem like a hassle right now, but wait until it melts.

The National Weather Service in La Crosse released its second hydrologic outlook of the spring based on current snow totals. That outlook shows that a chance of minor flooding along the Mississippi River from Lake City to La Crescent -- and down into Iowa -- is very likely.

The chance of moderate flooding across the same region is also much more likely than historical norms, the NWS noted. Six spots from Lake City to La Crescent along the Mississippi River have a greater than 50 percent likelihood of moderate flooding. And while none of those locations have a higher than 50 percent likelihood of flooding, all locations along the river are more likely than historical norms.

Furthermore, there is a 44 percent chance of major flooding in Winona.

Other rivers that are more likely to flood than historical norms include the Zumbro at Zumbro Falls, which has a 34 percent chance of minor flooding and a 10 percent chance of major flooding; and the Root River in Houston, which has a 55 percent chance of minor flooding and an 11 percent chance of moderate flooding, the NWS reported.

Even the South Fork of the Zumbro River in Rochester has an elevated chance of minor flooding, according to the NWS.

All these estimates are based on current snow accumulations and do not take into account the 6-plus inches of snow expected across Southeast Minnesota on Saturday or the rain expected to fall early Saturday.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources noted that the snowfall depth across Southeast Minnesota -- with the exception of most of Houston County, the southeast corner of Winona County and a sliver of Fillmore County -- ranks in the 99th percentile of historical snow depth for the date of Feb. 28.

With the threat of flooding greater than normal, the Minnesota Department of Commerce advised Minnesotans last week to consider purchasing flood insurance. The DOC noted that in recent years, floods have caused many Minnesotans to suffer major property damage and serious financial losses due to a lack of flood insurance protection.

"Flood damage is not covered by a standard homeowners insurance policy," the DOC warned. "There is a 30-day waiting period after purchasing a flood insurance policy before it takes effect."

Starting Monday and continuing to next Thursday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will conduct snow surveys throughout the region,

Patrick Loch, a spokesman with the Corps, said survey crews will work counterclockwise around the region beginning at Forest Lake and continuing around the Mississippi River basin. Other crews are taking surveys along the Canadian border and in the Red River basin in northwest Minnesota.

"The snow survey process involves going to a predetermined location, collecting snow through a tube and weighing the melted snow to determine water content," Loch said.

The results will be shared with the U.S Geological Survey and the National Weather Service to aid in their flood predictions, he said.

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