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| Officials Keeping an Eye on High River Levels |
(IRN)-It's going to be a wet spring, at least along Illinois' rivers.
With spring flooding already underway, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the worst is yet to come. Almost half the country, from the North Central U.S. through the Midwest and the Northeast, has an above-average risk of flooding over the next few weeks, according to the annual spring outlook released today by NOAA’s National Weather Service.
According to the outlook, the highest spring flood risk areas in Illinois are along the Mississippi River north of St. Louis. The Ohio River has already started to swell and river levels are above normal at Cairo.
"For the third consecutive year, the stage is set for potential widespread, record flooding in the North Central United States," said Jack Hayes, director of NOAA's National Weather Service. "We've been coordinating with federal and state partners and high risk communities since December to raise awareness and help them prepare. All the ingredients are in place for major flooding so this situation should be taken very seriously. We're asking citizens to stay informed and be prepared."
Warm temperatures in the forecast this week could cause much of the snowpack to the North to melt causing minor flooding by next week. Minor flooding could begin this week on the Mississippi River and its tributaries over southeastern Minnesota and southwestern Wisconsin, leading to moderate to major flooding by early April.
In addition, a series of storm systems are forecast to move across the region during the next two weeks, which could bring additional snow or rain on top of the remaining snowpack.
(Source: Illinois Radio Network) |
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| 03 17 11 by Newsroom |
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