Today we released our 3rd and final spring flood outlook for 2023. The risk of flooding remains near average across all area river basins.
To determine the relative risk of spring flooding, numerous factors are considered including snow cover, soil moisture, and current river conditions. Although elevated river levels and soil moisture tend to increase flood risk, the lack of snow cover and the lack of frozen soils have lowered the risk. For areas such as the Rock and Kankakee River basins where rivers are currently near bankfull, the risk of flooding over the next 1-2 weeks may be slightly above average while stages are receding.
For more information about the Spring Flood Outlook, a summary of fall and winter weather, and a summary of current conditions, see: https://weather.gov/lot/
-NWS Chicago