River risin'

The day we brought Jack home from the hospital, it rained. There were still snowbanks on the side of the road, but it was still piled high. Everyone optimistically thought spring was around the corner. Even if the calendar read spring, March is one of the snowiest months in Minnesota. We don't celebrate spring until we see tulips and green grass... and sometimes not even then.

Only a few days later after Jack, we can see evidence of the flood that forecasters have been predicting. While our city is not on the flood list, the water is up to the bridge and tonight one road out of town is closed.

Why the flooding this year? Significant snowfall this winter melted all at once. Then, ice upriver formed dams that slowed down ice breaking up and flowing downriver. These had to be blasted to get water flowing and ice chunks moving downstream.

Today Dave and I walked down to check out the river. It was flowing high and fast. The water carried large trunks and trash at a fast clip downriver.

Thankfully, we live on the other side of a very big levee. But that doesn't mean we won't be keeping a close eye on how high the water rises.