Spring flooding potential threat for 146M people

With the spring equinox just around the corner, it is time to look at the spring weather ahead. A stormy and warm forecast will increase the risk of flooding to millions of people.

The U.S. government’s spring forecast, issued late Thursday, is expecting significant spring flooding across wide areas of the U.S.

California, already experiencing massive flooding due to recent atmospheric events, will continue to have an elevated risk of flooding through May. The combination of seasonably mild temperatures melting a record snowpack and additional spring rainfall will keep river levels elevated.

The abundant water will provide a silver lining. Many of the reservoirs that store water for the hot and dry summers California experiences are filling rapidly and should be filled to the brim by the end of Spring, if not sooner. Additionally, an extreme drought that has persisted since 2020 has been wiped out.

Flooding could become a problem across the central U.S. too. Above average snowfall found across the upper Mississippi Valley and the Red River of the North will increase the threat of spring flooding as it melts.

This spring melt and a projected normal spring storm season could also bring minor flooding downriver into the lower Mississippi Valley, South and Southeast. In total, 146 million people could be threatened by flooding. "Approximately 44% of the U.S. is at risk for flooding this spring,” said Ed Clark, director of U.S. government’s National Water Center.

It might be time to check the air conditioners if you live from Texas and the southern Plains eastward to the Atlantic coast. There is a high above-normal chance for warmer-than-average spring, especially in Texas, along the Gulf Coast, Florida and the Atlantic Seaboard.

The Great Lakes, Midwest and the interior Northeast could also be wetter than normal, while the Northwest and Southwest could be drier than normal.

Check your WeatherRadar for the latest forecast throughout Spring.