Ad-Express and Daily Iowegian, Centerville, IA

Community News Network

February 21, 2013

Flood? What flood?

OTTUMWA — It may seem odd to be thinking about spring floods while Iowa gets hit by a winter storm, but the first prediction came out Thursday.

The National Weather Service's hydrologic outlook put Iowa at low risk of spring flooding, no surprise given that more than half the state remains in severe drought. But there is some risk as winter ends.

One of the big questions is when the ground will thaw. Frozen ground, particularly frozen ground with ice in it, won't absorb much moisture. If areas with large amounts of snow on the ground see sudden warming, the snow melts without thawing the ground. The melting snow runs off, raising the potential for localized flooding.

Most area sites covered in the report show some chance of minor flooding, a stage much easier to reach with sudden, one-time events like a major snowmelt. The chances of moderate or major flooding, which would more likely require consistent precipitation, are under 5 percent.

This isn't the last flood forecast. An updated version will be released on March 7.

Text Only
Community News Network
Obituaries
Featured Ads
Poll

The Iowegian wants readers to think about Centerville's search for a city administrator. So far the Daily Iowegian has published information about four of the city administrator candidates with the fifth profile to be published on Friday. Here are the names of the five candidates in the search: Patrick Antonen, Joe Gaa, Darrel Steven Carlyle, Chelsea Huisman and Alan Johnson. Who do you like? So, the question of the week is, "Based on what you have read so far about the five city administrator candidates, which one would you pick?"

A. Patrick Antonen
B. Joe Gaa
C. Darrel Steven Carlyle
D. Chelsea Huisman
E. Alan Johnson
     View Results
Iowegian on Facebook