The risk of minor and moderate river flooding this spring is higher than normal in central Iowa.
The National Weather Service in Des Moines released the first of three spring flood outlooks on Thursday.
The outlook takes into account multiple factors such as snow cover, soil moisture, frost depth, streamflows, and long range temperature forecasts. Above average to near record soil moisture across the Midwest is of particular concern.
The chances of minor flooding is above normal for virtually all central Iowa rivers. Meanwhile, the odds of moderate flooding are only above normal for some locations such as the Des Moines River in Des Moines. The probability of major river flooding is low.
Flooding concerns are much higher in eastern Iowa. The National Weather Service in the Quad Cities says the chances of major flooding along the Mississippi River are greater than 95% in some locations this spring.
There is also a higher than normal risk for flooding along the Missouri River in western Iowa. The National Weather Service in Omaha says there is a greater than 50% chance of moderate flooding this spring from Pacific Junction to Hamburg.