Northwest Iowa — Many people in our area are celebrating the unseasonably warm weather we’re experiencing, but the fast melting of our snow cover could cause some problems.
Jeff Chapman is a National Weather Service Forecaster and Climatologist stationed in Sioux Falls, and he tells us that the warm temperatures will cause the rivers to rise.
He says, however, that the rising river levels shouldn’t translate to major flooding in our area.
National Weather Service Hydrologist Jeff Zogg in Des Moines says that the unseasonably warm temps could cause some ice jams on northern Iowa rivers.
As large chunks of ice melt, break away and float downriver, they often get caught up on bridges, stack up and create a dam, which leads to flooding, according to Zogg.
While current temperatures are spring-like, Zogg reminds us that we still have a little over a month of winter remaining, so don’t put your parka in storage just yet.
You can learn more at weather.gov.
