Moscow is Spared, for Now

As of January 6 the snow load in Moscow had reached 30 pounds per square foot which is the amount that many of the structures in the City are designed for. This put structures in the area in precarious positions in the middle of winter with wet weather in the forecast. Cold rain or additional snow would mean even heavier loads on roofs, decks, and other surfaces. But warm wet weather would mean flooding. So far the past 24 hours have been wet and warm, just warm enough and just not wet enough to melt the snow off roofs faster than it could gain weight, but not too warm and not too wet as to produce too severe flooding. That doesn't mean there hasn't been any flooding. In some places the creeks have left their banks, but to those who have seen real floods, so far it's just `normal' flooding. According to the City Building Official, flooding problems have been isolated to mostly plugged storm drains and some water in basements. And still no significant structural failures. Some creeks and drainage ditches in the area are plugged with snow and ice forcing runoff to jump the banks and cut across fields. Danielson Road south of town is reported closed due to culvert and some road washout. Beyond that the damage is mostly limited to the loss of some good agricultural soil and vehicles having to slow or wait their turn at junctures of overflowing creeks and country roads.

Still, the next 24 hours could be interesting. Most of the land `upstream' of Moscow is still snow covered or blanketed with expanses of deep slush where rain and snow-melt have been absorbed by the snow in lower lying areas. Very warm, wet, windy weather, what residents call a `Chinook', could suddenly melt the snow and release the `slush' in the watershed around town and cause greater flooding. It will largely depend on the temperature. Very warm temperatures, with wind, would be the worst case scenario. Fortunately, as of mid-afternoon the sky has cleared and temperatures are dropping and are expected to continue dropping and then hover below freezing. That is good! Temperates just around freezing should allow for a reasonable runoff. But remember, it's still January. Winter is not over, and this time most years is just beginning.

Sources

City of Moscow Press Release, 221 E. 2^nd Street, Moscow, Idaho 83843.

Adam Kampenhout, Building Official, Private Communication, City of Moscow, 221 E. 2^nd Street, Moscow, Idaho 83843.

National Weather Service Weather Warnings for Moscow, Idaho, weather.msn.com.

Hourly Forecast for Moscow, Idaho, weather.msn.com.