Lack of Snow Cuts Red River Valley Flood Risk

Forecasters say the risk of significant flooding in the Red River Valley is much lower than it’s been in recent years because there’s been so little snow this winter.

Meteorologist Jim Kaiser of the National Weather Service office in Grand Forks, N.D., says no more than a few inches of snow are on the ground across the Red River basin in eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. Even more significant, he says, the snow contains less than a half inch of water. He says much of that moisture should just soak into the dry topsoil as it melts.

Kaiser cautions the flood forecast could change if the region gets significant snow or rainfall before spring, but he says no significant precipitation is expected for at least the next two weeks.