After last summer’s historic drought and the low water levels that accompanied it, I was wondering how this winter was shaping up for getting the river back to more typical conditions. A couple pieces of information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration help, but a far from a full prediction.

The entire 7,700-square mile watershed in Minnesota and Wisconsin that drains toward the St. Croix remains in some level of drought. There is anywhere from four inches of snow in the southwest corner of the basin to 10 inches on the ground near the headwaters.

That might be good news for the spring melt flooding season, but is also possibly a clue that the dry weather that gripped the region last year has not let go yet.

The National Weather Service is scheduled to release its first spring flood outlook of the year on Feb. 10, with updates released every two weeks through March.

Republish