Spring Flooding? Not This Year, Forecasters Say

Federal weather forecasters say for the first time in four years they're not worried about major spring flooding. But don't expect much of a break from unseasonal warmth.

The National Weather Service's outlook for spring, which arrived early with 577 warm temperature records broken Wednesday, predicts mostly warmer and drier than normal weather, except in the northwest.

Forecasters say only a small fraction of the country is at major flood risk, which is a benefit of a winter with the third least amount of snow in recent records. It's quite a change from last year when record flooding struck major rivers.

Meteorologists say drought should continue in the west and south, but shouldn't be as extreme as last fall. The southeast should brace for some restriction on water use.

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