A question that has popped up repeatedly over the past week is, “With all of the snowpack melting I would think this would have a dramatic effect on the Missouri River. Why haven’t we heard anything on the news about this?”
This is a great question. We have received an extensive amount of snowfall this year. An average season that usually yields 10-12 inches of snow has brought roughly 40 inches to parts of our area and it’s been on the ground pretty much since early January. Now that temperatures have warmed in to the 60s a few times over the past week, there isn’t much snow pack left on the ground. This melting will be soaked up by the soils and excess runoff will flow into creeks and streams and eventually in to the Missouri River. So why haven’t you heard about this excessive runoff causing problems on the Missouri River? The Missouri River is not expected to come out of its banks. The river level forecast is showing a spike in volume but nowhere in the state is the expected level to reach flood stage. This is why you haven’t seen much coverage on the news.
The one area where flooding may occur is smaller streams and tributaries. Rivers like the Moreau River near Jefferson City and the Petite Saline Creek near Boonville are expected to flood or are currently in flood stage. However, this is only expected to last roughly 48 hours before falling below flood stage again. With a dry forecast until Sunday little to no flooding is anticipated.
Further information:
Find river level stages near your hometown at: http://water.weather.gov/
Spring Flood Assessment: http://www.weather.gov/oh/hic
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