The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gave its outlook regarding potential Spring flood activity for this season, with perhaps a surprising report.

Participants: Rod Bain and USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey

Transcript

Once called the spring flood outlook, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration removed the word flood from its weather outlook for the season.

USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says for spring 2024 that is appropriate in that we are not expecting any significant spring flooding across the northern plains or the upper Midwest.

A big departure from what we normally see in these outlooks as a combination of antecedent drought the past three years and below average snowfall over the winter is expected to result in no flooding in that region.

In other parts of the country, there are very few areas expecting any moderate flooding and nowhere in the United States expecting major spring river flooding.

Those pockets of potential moderate flooding mostly focused across the Mid South and then in just a few areas in the Southeast.

One minor flood risk area this spring - some watersheds in the Great Basin extending into southeastern Idaho.

I’m Rod Bain reporting for the US Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.