Concerns are being voiced over whether upstream reservoirs in the Missouri River Basin will be able to release enough water downstream and into the Missouri River.

The remainder of this winter season and in the coming spring and summer months might become a difficult task to decide on how much water should be released from upstream reservoirs into the Missouri River, much in part due to the dry conditions of this past year.

Kevin Lall with the Missouri River Forecast Center says he expects lower than normal chances of flooding across much of the River Basin this year. “Below average stream flow conditions in the fall; lower than normal fall rain, current soil moisture conditions and the lack of appreciable plain snowpack all point to a diminished risk for significant flooding due to plain snow melt in 2013,” he says.

“This does not mean the chance of flooding is non-existent,” says Lall. Last spring however, flooding did occur under dryer than normal conditions. “Also, flooding due to ice jams has already occurred along the loop and the North Platte River (in Nebraska).”

He says the thread of ice jam flooding will continue through the remainder of the winter and into early spring. Lall adds that there is still a chance for conditions to change as it’s relatively early in the season.

 

AUDIO: Mary Farucci reports. (1:03)