Flood Outlook DAVENPORT, IA (wqub) - If you live along the Mississippi, or any other river in eastern Iowa and western Illinois - watch out. The first flood outlook for this year from the National Weather Service shows a greater chance of flooding, than in the past several years.
Hydrologist Jeff Zogg, from the Weather Service office in Davenport, says high water is expected along just about every river in the area. The chance of the Mississippi reaching flood stage in Dubuque is 66 per cent, 76 per cent in the Quad Cities, and 88 per cent in Burlington.
And the reason is simple - Zogg says above normal precipitation this winter means there's a lot of snow that will melt soon.

"...also high soil moisture from rain in the fall so melt will run off."

And the outlook would be even worse without the recent record-setting warm weather that pre-maturely melted some of the snow.

But there's no one reason for this year's high flood potential in eastern Iowa and western Illinois - Zogg blames a combination of factors, that resulted in more rain and snow than usual here, while not too far to the west and east, there are places will below normal precipitation.
The next flood forecast for the spring will be issued in two weeks.
© Copyright 2009, wqub