By: Todd McDonald

BISMARCK, N.D. (Prairie Public) – There is a good deal of time between now and the spring thaw, but current conditions are already catching people’s attention.

State Climatologist Adnan Akyuz says being much of the state went into winter freeze-up with rain soaked soils there may not be much room left for the run-off from the spring thaw. On top of that, the wet cycle witnessed last fall is expected to hang on.

Akyuz says, historically speaking, there so much moisture that it puts the entire state into the 99-percentile for soil moisture. He says that means only one-percent of the time has there been more surplus moisture than we have now.

Akyuz says that means the threat of spring flooding is not limited to traditional flood prone areas like the Red River Valley.

Akyuz says at this point the “best case scenario” would be to not have any more snow and to have a very warm spring to evaporate some of the excess moisture.