Snow Melt Flooding

4/8/2019 (Permalink)

Spring has sprung! Snow is melting and the earth is saturated. The first day of spring is exactly a month away. You may be wondering what effect snow has on flooding potential. Well I'm here to let you know. As snow melts it adds to the ground just like rainfall. On average one inch of fresh snow is equal to a tenth of an inch of water. When snow begins to accumulate and compact throughout the winter season the ratio of snow to water changes. So ten inches of snow remaining as spring arrives may contain as much as 5 inches of water! As a result snowmelt flooding can occur. So what are the major contributing factors of snowmelt flooding?

• High moisture level in the soil in fall
• Ground frost
• Snow coverage with high water content
• Melting occurring at a rapid continuous rate
• Ice Jams
• Moderate to heavy rain during the melt down

If snowmelt flooding is causing you to have a melt down remember 

SERVPRO of Allegan & Barry County (269-686-0664) is always here to help 24/7!