N.W.S. Warns of "Localized" Flooding - Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand Forks

N.W.S. Warns of "Localized" Flooding

   The National Weather Service now says our current weather pattern could lead to isolated flooding problems around the valley.

  Spring is just around the corner. But, the snow is still flying and more of it is on the way. It could mean some major shifts as to how high the river gets where you live.

  The National Weather Service says more precipitation and temperatures that continue well below the average, can all add up to some big trouble in April.

 Greg Gust, National Weather Service: "You now run the risk that if you get a warm up, it's going to be more dramatic.  …the possibility of getting those 60 and 70-degree temperatures and causing the snow to melt more quickly."

  Plus, Gust says there's also a greater chance of April showers joining forces with a fast melt. He says we do not have the snow pack valley wide that preceded the 1997 flood. However, he says an April melt, combined with a thunder storm can quickly turn into flooding at isolated spots, along the Red River and its tributaries.

Greg Gust: "Melting snow, you'd still be getting that runoff, ditches are running up, streams are starting to fill up and you throw a thunderstorm on it, and everything gets more aggressive, the runoff is faster and you get some localized flooding."

  Again, Gust emphasizes he's not talking about valley wide flooding, but the possibility of isolated flooding. And for thousands of valley residents, who've already experienced a house full of water, that's the kind that counts.