NOAA releases spring flooding and drought forecast
Parts of Louisiana, Arkansas and eastern Texas, which have already suffered widespread flooding this year, will continue to be at risk of flooding through June, according to the newly released spring outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The report also said that communities along the Mississippi and Missouri River basins and parts of the southeastern U.S. from Alabama to North Carolina are at risk of minor to moderate spring flooding, too.
"Our assessment of spring flood risk is based in large part on saturated soils and elevated streamflows from the Gulf Coast northward along the Mississippi River, although heavy rainfall at any time can cause local or regional flooding, even in places where the risk is currently considered low," Tom Graziano, Ph.D., acting director of NOAA's National Water Center, said in a statement. "We encourage people to be prepared for the range of spring weather threats, including flooding, and tune into local forecasts to monitor their personal risk."
The report warned that the impact could include washed out roads, flooded homes and businesses, and evacuations of people to higher elevations.
On the West Coast, the northern part of drought-stricken California will continue to get some relief by snowmelt and rain brought on by this year's record El Nino. The southern part of the state however, remains in exceptionally severe drought conditions.
NOAA's spring flood risk assessment is based on late summer and fall precipitation data, frost depth, soil saturation levels, snowpack, frost depth, temperatures and rate of snowmelt. NOAA climate data shows that December 2015 was the wettest December on record for the contiguous United States.