Spring Flood Outlook for Northeast MN and Northwest WI

2026 Spring Flood Outlook #3 (March 12, 2026)

Recent melt has reduced remaining snowpack for much of the Northland away from Lake Superior.
Spring Flood Risk is:
- Upper Mississippi River: Low
- St. Croix: Low
- Chippewa: Low
- Near Lake Superior: Near normal to High
- Rainy River Basin: Near normal
Ground has started to thaw and runoff into soils and area rivers has been observed on warm days.
Additional precipitation and rate of snowmelt through the rest of the spring could still influence flood risk.

Current Spring Flood Threat Checklist

Threat	Impact to Potential Spring Flooding	Links
High River Levels	Below Normal Streamflow	USGS WaterWatch MN WI
High Soil Moisture	Around to Above Normal	CPC Soil Moisture
Winter Precipitation	Lower to around normal	Climate Prediction Center 6 to 10 Day 8 - 14 Day
Current Snowpack/Liquid Equivalent	Normal to Below Normal, Above Normal around Lake Superior	Current Snow Water Equivalent Analysis Snow Water Equivalent Ranking
Rate of Snowmelt	Steady and controlled	24, 48, & 72 hr Snowmelt
Frost Depth	Normal to Below Normal	Frost Depth Map
Spring Precipitation	Possible chance for slightly above normal.	Point Forecast (Next 7 Days) Precip Outlook (Upcoming Weeks)

For more details, please see the full briefing PDF:

Spring Flood Outlook Update #3 (March 12, 2026)

NWS Duluth Snow Survey Data for the MN Arrowhead and Rainy River Basin:

NWS Duluth meteorologists perform snow surveys each winter to fill critical snow water equivalent (SWE) data gaps across portions of Northeast Minnesota. The latest survey was on March 3 and 4, 2026. All the latest SWE observations in the last 72 hours across the Northland can be viewed at this link. Most SWE data comes in on Mondays.

Location	Snow Depth (inches)	SWE (inches)
Tofte Ranger Station	19	3.7
Sawbill Campground	24	4.8
Windy Lake (Lake Co. Hwy 7)	23	4.0
Wye Lake (Lake Co. Hwy 7)	22	4.0
Little Isabella River Campground	20	4.3
South Kawishiwi River Campground	18	3.5
Sand Lake Campground (Lake County Hwy 2)	19	4.2
Wales	22	5.7
Big Lake Boat Launch (Echo Trail)	15	3.1
Lake Jeanette Campground (Echo Trail)	15	3.3
Echo Lake Campground (Echo Trail)	17	3.4
Littlefork River near Linden Grove	15	3.4
Little Moose Trailhead (MN State Hwy 65)	12	2.3