Flooding Peril From Snow Eases in Midwest; Rains Pose Problem

The danger of flooding from snowmelt in the upper Midwest was declared over Friday, although emergency officials said they are still wary of spring rains.

National Weather Service forecasters said that a dry, warm late winter has allowed rivers to flush melting snow in areas where flooding was the worst last year, including southern Minnesota through Iowa and Missouri.

But soil moisture levels remain abnormally high, meaning that spring rains have no place to go but into rivers.

“The danger of flooding is never over on the Iowa River,” said Iowa County Sheriff James Slockett. “We get a four-, five-inch rain, that could be very harmful to us.”

Last year’s Midwest flooding caused about $12 billion in damage and was blamed for 48 deaths in nine states: Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. That flooding started with heavy snow cover and early spring rains at the same time the snow was melting.

Jerry Ostendorf, head of the Iowa Emergency Management Department’s response division, said he was encouraged but still watchful.

“Compared to what we had last year, we’re ahead of the ballgame. But the ground is so saturated, spring rains could send the rivers up in a hurry,” he said. “There’s no sponge capacity out there.”