(statement from the National Weather Service Office/Quad City-Jessica Brooks; Service Hydrologist, NWS Quad Cities)
As we enter into the winter season with concerns for flooding across the region for next spring the attached document will provide you with updated information regarding the ongoing conditions as well as the forecast for the coming months.
Overall, the concerns haven’t changed much in the past month. Soil moisture remains high across the region and rivers are still running at levels above normal for early winter. Now that we are officially in the winter season our focus will be to watch precipitation and temperature trends to see how/if the snowpack develops, and how the ground and rivers freeze up.
One note is that current conditions are leading to higher concerns for spring flooding particularly for the Mississippi River. But due to ongoing high levels, the Pecatonica and Rock Rivers have elevated concerns as well. The threat for flooding on other rivers across the area will be dependent on precipitation patterns in the next few months.
Another update is planned for early January with the official Spring Flood Outlooks coming out on the following dates:
February 13, 2020
February 27, 2020
March 12, 2020
Link to story images: Advanced Fall Flood Outlook_December
