SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) –Sooner or later, warmer temperatures will return and we’ll get spring warmth in KELOLAND. Along with the warm temperatures, we’ll have to watch the spring melt and runoff from our snow cover in eastern KELOLAND. This brings up the talk of spring flooding in KELOLAND.

Depending on where you leave, you’ve been looking at snow on the ground since the beginning of December. After a couple of bouts of rain in December and February that got soaked up in the snow, we have areas in eastern KELOLAND holding four to six inches of water. Though it’s hard to see, a lot of that is in the form of layers of ice.

As of now, the James River Valley is projected to have moderate to major flooding.
The Big Sioux is projected to have moderate to minor flooding. Keep in mind, Watertown is an area that was wetter going into the winter.

BUT, with the weather trend and the forecast, it’s been active and is expected to remain active.

This next graphic shows the precipitation outlook through April 10. Notice the above average trend is expected to continue for the eastern half of South Dakota AND all of North Dakota.

The flood outlook is just a snapshot in time as to what MAY happen. Don’t be surprised if things start looking worse before looking better.