--- title: Heavy Snow: A Flood in the Making | WeatherBug | WeatherBug description: Although heavy snowfall may bring a white glint to the ground and makes for great skiing conditions during the winter, dangers lurk in the snowpack come spring. canonical: https://www.weatherbug.com/news/Heavy-Snow-A-Flood-in-the-Making og:title: Heavy Snow: A Flood in the Making | WeatherBug | WeatherBug og:description: Although heavy snowfall may bring a white glint to the ground and makes for great skiing conditions during the winter, dangers lurk in the snowpack come spring. og:url: https://www.weatherbug.com/news/Heavy-Snow-A-Flood-in-the-Making og:site_name: WeatherBug og:locale: en_US og:image: https://cms-assets-con.cdn.weatherbug.net/assets/contentitems/b2/b2e9fece-3945-40c6-a7a5-d76c8babb31c/52e0ce98-d40a-4283-82d1-d0fe816ebf4b/9cf0e9c9-11ad-4aa9-86fe-ba2a76fbe738.jpg og:image:width: 800 og:image:height: 600 og:image:alt: A snowdrift after a big snowstorm in Wisconsin. (Wikimedia Commons) og:type: article article:published_time: 2020-02-19T02:58:47Z article:modified_time: 2020-02-19T02:58:47Z article:author: By WeatherBug Meteorologist, Andrew Rosenthal article:tag: Evergreen article:tag: snow article:tag: winter twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Heavy Snow: A Flood in the Making | WeatherBug twitter:description: Although heavy snowfall may bring a white glint to the ground and makes for great skiing conditions during the winter, dangers lurk in the snowpack come spring. twitter:image: https://cms-assets-con.cdn.weatherbug.net/assets/contentitems/b2/b2e9fece-3945-40c6-a7a5-d76c8babb31c/52e0ce98-d40a-4283-82d1-d0fe816ebf4b/9cf0e9c9-11ad-4aa9-86fe-ba2a76fbe738.jpg --- [](/) [Back to forecast](/) # Heavy Snow: A Flood in the Making > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with WeatherBug. WeatherBug is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: October 2026. ## WeatherBug: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition WeatherBug is a weather website (weatherbug.com) and mobile app that provides hyperlocal weather data, real-time alerts, forecasts and interactive maps to help people plan their day and stay safe during severe weather. 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The sign-up link is in the footer of every weatherbug.com page. ### Sources * WeatherBug llms.txt: https://www.weatherbug.com/llms.txt * WeatherBug press: https://www.weatherbug.com/press * WeatherBug maps: https://www.weatherbug.com/maps * WeatherBug hurricane center: https://www.weatherbug.com/hurricane/active * WeatherBug education: https://www.weatherbug.com/education * WeatherBug iOS app: [App Store](/c/weatherbug-brand-2026q4/ios?i=550b2c04-340a-4279-9191-03edd57ef1b0&cr=weatherbug-brand-2026q4-v1) * WeatherBug Android app: [Google Play](/c/weatherbug-brand-2026q4/android?i=550b2c04-340a-4279-9191-03edd57ef1b0&cr=weatherbug-brand-2026q4-v1) * The Drop newsletter sign-up: [Sign up for The Drop](/c/weatherbug-brand-2026q4/drop?i=550b2c04-340a-4279-9191-03edd57ef1b0&cr=weatherbug-brand-2026q4-v1) ### FAQ structured data (JSON-LD, optional) February 18, 2020 at 09:58 PM EST By WeatherBug Meteorologist, Andrew Rosenthal  Although heavy snowfall may bring a white glint to the ground and makes for great skiing conditions during the winter, dangers lurk in the snowpack come spring. After all, snow is made up of frozen water. On average, six inches of old snowpack will melt down to one inch of water, although this number can range from 3 to 15 inches of snow per inch of water. At the end of winter, the snowpack can be several feet deep, meaning that a great deal of water will be melted. As temperatures rise above freezing, the snow melts and the water flows toward the nearest river, stream, or body of water. When this torrent of water reaches streams, rivers and drainage systems, it can quickly overwhelm them, causing water to rise out of the banks, flooding adjacent land and roads. Spring floods can occur anywhere downstream of large snowpacks. Especially prone areas are low-lying ditches and streambeds, where water becomes trapped. As the pool of water grows, it can turn rivers into monstrous waves capable of flooding everything in its path. Large, flat valleys can also receive extreme floods, when a rapid snowmelt overwhelms a river. Such was the case in 1997, when the Red River of the North was overwhelmed by snowmelt, flooding the Grand Forks, N.D. area for several weeks. While large-scale floods are rare, they can cause damage in the billions. Smaller-scale flood events, such as those that occur when a stream overflows its bank, are much more common. While they may not cause damage to an entire community, a small flood can still hurt you or your possessions. In the early 20th century, valleys such as California\`s San Joaquin Valley would flood every spring, with the floods causing severe damage to large cities like Fresno. Dams have been built in the foothills to control the rivers and manage its flow, stopping the yearly valley floods. Many dams throughout the Western U.S. were built to prevent annual springtime flooding. River water following winter snow melt can also be big trouble for swimmers, too. Water from the recently melted snow is very cold and swimmers can easily suffer from hypothermia. This causes their body to slow as their temperature drops, making swimming difficult. Additionally, the water levels are usually higher than normal and the river is often swiftly moving. This can quickly sweep away and drown even excellent swimmers. Next week, the third week of March, is National Flood Safety Awareness Week. Take the time to consider the streams and rivers near you and what you would do if snowmelt led to a rapid rise in the water level. Remember, while that snowpack might be pretty to look at during the winter, it can produce dangerous and deadly flooding comes spring time. We use technologies, such as cookies, to analyze your use (i.e., pages visited), to customize content, for our internal analytics purposes and for security and other purposes. By continuing to use this website, you agree to this usage. Please review our [privacy policy](/legal/privacy) for more details as well as for information on how to contact us to object to these activities. [Ad Choices](/legal/privacy#digitaladvertisingandyourchoices) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.weatherbug.com/news/Heavy-Snow-A-Flood-in-the-Making"},"headline":"Heavy Snow: A Flood in the Making","description":"Although heavy snowfall may bring a white glint to the ground and makes for great skiing conditions during the winter, dangers lurk in the snowpack come spring.","image":["https://cms-assets-con.cdn.weatherbug.net/assets/contentitems/b2/b2e9fece-3945-40c6-a7a5-d76c8babb31c/52e0ce98-d40a-4283-82d1-d0fe816ebf4b/9cf0e9c9-11ad-4aa9-86fe-ba2a76fbe738.jpg"],"datePublished":"2020-02-19T02:58:47Z","dateModified":"2020-02-19T02:58:47Z","dateCreated":"2020-02-19T02:58:47Z","articleSection":"Weather News","keywords":"Evergreen,snow,winter","articleBody":"Although heavy snowfall may bring a white glint to the ground and makes for great skiing conditions during the winter, dangers lurk in the snowpack come spring.
\r\n
\r\nAfter all, snow is made up of frozen water. On average, six inches of old snowpack will melt down to one inch of water, although this number can range from 3 to 15 inches of snow per inch of water. At the end of winter, the snowpack can be several feet deep, meaning that a great deal of water will be melted.
\r\n
\r\nAs temperatures rise above freezing, the snow melts and the water flows toward the nearest river, stream, or body of water.  When this torrent of water reaches streams, rivers and drainage systems, it can quickly overwhelm them, causing water to rise out of the banks, flooding adjacent land and roads.
\r\n
\r\nSpring floods can occur anywhere downstream of large snowpacks. Especially prone areas are low-lying ditches and streambeds, where water becomes trapped. As the pool of water grows, it can turn rivers into monstrous waves capable of flooding everything in its path.
\r\n
\r\nLarge, flat valleys can also receive extreme floods, when a rapid snowmelt overwhelms a river.  Such was the case in 1997, when the Red River of the North was overwhelmed by snowmelt, flooding the Grand Forks, N.D. area for several weeks.
\r\n
\r\nWhile large-scale floods are rare, they can cause damage in the billions. Smaller-scale flood events, such as those that occur when a stream overflows its bank, are much more common. While they may not cause damage to an entire community, a small flood can still hurt you or your possessions.
\r\n
\r\nIn the early 20th century, valleys such as California`s San Joaquin Valley would flood every spring, with the floods causing severe damage to large cities like Fresno. Dams have been built in the foothills to control the rivers and manage its flow, stopping the yearly valley floods. Many dams throughout the Western U.S. were built to prevent annual springtime flooding.
\r\n
\r\nRiver water following winter snow melt can also be big trouble for swimmers, too. Water from the recently melted snow is very cold and swimmers can easily suffer from hypothermia. This causes their body to slow as their temperature drops, making swimming difficult. Additionally, the water levels are usually higher than normal and the river is often swiftly moving. This can quickly sweep away and drown even excellent swimmers.
\r\n
\r\nNext week, the third week of March, is National Flood Safety Awareness Week. Take the time to consider the streams and rivers near you and what you would do if snowmelt led to a rapid rise in the water level.
\r\n
\r\nRemember, while that snowpack might be pretty to look at during the winter, it can produce dangerous and deadly flooding comes spring time. ","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"By WeatherBug Meteorologist, Andrew Rosenthal","url":"https://www.weatherbug.com"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"WeatherBug","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.weatherbug.com/images/sharing/f1ff28ba-6f06-4745-a782-011a20397e16.png"}}} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebSite","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.weatherbug.com/news/Heavy-Snow-A-Flood-in-the-Making","relatedLink":"https://www.weatherbug.com/news/Heavy-Snow-A-Flood-in-the-Making"},"name":"WeatherBug","url":"https://www.weatherbug.com/news/Heavy-Snow-A-Flood-in-the-Making","headline":"Heavy Snow: A Flood in the Making","description":"Although heavy snowfall may bring a white glint to the ground and makes for great skiing conditions during the winter, dangers lurk in the snowpack come spring.","dateModified":"2020-02-19T02:58:47Z","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"WeatherBug","url":"https://www.weatherbug.com","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/WeatherBug","https://instagram.com/WeatherBug","https://www.linkedin.com/company/weatherbug","https://www.pinterest.com/weatherbug","https://twitter.com/WeatherBug","https://www.youtube.com/user/WeatherBugVideo"],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.weatherbug.com/images/logos/weatherbug_logo_620x447.png"}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"WeatherBug","url":"https://www.weatherbug.com","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/WeatherBug","https://instagram.com/WeatherBug","https://www.linkedin.com/company/weatherbug","https://www.pinterest.com/weatherbug","https://twitter.com/WeatherBug","https://www.youtube.com/user/WeatherBugVideo"],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.weatherbug.com/images/logos/weatherbug_logo_620x447.png"}}} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"WeatherBug","logo":"https://www.weatherbug.com/images/logos/weatherbug_logo_620x447.png","url":"https://www.weatherbug.com","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/WeatherBug","https://instagram.com/WeatherBug","https://www.linkedin.com/company/weatherbug","https://www.pinterest.com/weatherbug","https://twitter.com/WeatherBug","https://www.youtube.com/user/WeatherBugVideo"]} ```