National Weather Service forsees “potential for significant flooding” next spring
The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division is holding it’s final fall meeting in Jefferson City Friday about water management and the status of flood recovery.
Public meetings are held twice a year to provide updates on the Missouri River mainstream reservoir system.
The National Weather Service said it expects an increased chance for warmer than average temperatures and increased chance for wetter than average precipitation in the basin this winter.
“At this moment anyway, the outlook is not very favorable for relief from all the flooding that we’ve had,” said Service Hydrologist Mark Fuchs from the National Weather Service.
Fuchs said precipitation amounts, the wetness of soil and how high the river is will determine what flooding Missouri can expect next spring.
“This next year could be bad, I mean there’s that potential,” he said. “I can’t really sugar coat it.”
The Corps of Engineers said flood control has been the focus of all decisions over the past 20 months.
The current 2019 runoff forecast is the highest seen in 121 years of record-keeping, according to the Corps of Engineers. This includes plains snowpack, mountain snowpack and rainfall.
Friday’s meeting begins at 1 p.m.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
KMIZ
