Many areas of eastern South Dakota received well over the normal amount of snowfall this winter. After a storm last week dumped snow in the west and central parts of the state and several inches of rain in the east, people are dealing with– or preparing to deal with– spring flooding.
SDSU Extension State Climatologist Laura Edwards says with temperatures in the 40s, 50s and maybe 60s in some places this week and next week, the spring melting has begun.
The most recent snowfalls have been a wetter, heavier snow than most places have seen this year.
If temperatures throughout February seemed colder than normal, Edwards says you’re not imagining it. She says a lot of the state saw record or near record cold.
Edwards says the deep frost layer will prevent much of the snowmelt from soaking into the ground, thus contributing to more runoff and increasing the flood potential.
