HOT PURSUIT

With basically non-stop snowfalls over the past week, it’s hard to imagine spring is less than a week away.

At least for me, the only glimmer of hope received this past week was Daylight Saving Time on Sunday, pushing more daylight our way.

This winter’s continuous snowstorms have pushed at least the Twin Cities metro area into the Top 10 snowiest seasons on record. Last count Minnesota is at about 80 inches for this winter. The heaviest seasonal snowfall ever on record comes in at 98.6 inches in 1983-84.

I’m weird when it comes to records. Heck, if we’re that close to breaking a record, I think why not go for it and smash it. We are within 20 inches of setting a new record. And, with the way things work in Minnesota, we could accomplish that with just one big blast.

Just think we could say we’ve survived the snowiest season on record. Only problem for me is I have that distinction already from when I was in high school.

According to WeatherWorks, there have been no less than 30 snow events this season for Steele County. They include systems showering us with snow, freezing rain and wintry mixes.

But who’s counting?

Well, oddly enough, apparently, I am.

There may be some good news with all this precipitation we’re receiving this winter. It should help with the drought conditions Minnesota has been experiencing over the past few years. Let’s hope, though, the melting doesn’t come all at once for the sake of our rivers and streams, which could experience flooding.

Officials have put out a “higher than normal” risk of spring flooding. The amount of potential flooding depends on several factors, including the speed of the warmup and level and intensity of future rain and snow fall.

And as we all know, Steele County is not immune to flooding. The last big flood in Owatonna and Medford came in 2010. Another deluge of rain came in 2016 hitting the Medford area especially hard. Ironically, both of those floods were not in the spring, but rather in September of all times.

The Insurance Federation of Minnesota (IFM) is putting out a warning that spring flood risk calls attention to need for insurance. One of the common misconceptions made by many is about who qualifies for flood insurance.

“The biggest misconception about flood insurance is when you hear that you can’t get flood insurance because you don’t live in the floodplain, which is not true,” said Aaron Cocking of the IFM. “The only requirement to be eligible for flood insurance is that your city, county or township must participate in the National Flood Insurance Program and most do, so this important coverage is available almost everywhere in the state.”

Now back to the pressing question of whether our lingering winter will spill over into spring next week. We still have two state basketball tournaments to go so there is a good chance more snow is on its way.

No matter what happens I hope you’ll be able to go in hot pursuit of enjoying spring, even if it means we keep inching toward the snowiest season on record.