HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
1102 AM EST FRI MAR 10 2006
       ...SPRING FLOOD WATER RESOURCES OUTLOOK...
THIS SPRING FLOOD AND WATER RESOURCES OUTLOOK IS FOR THE RIVERS
IN THE SAINT JOSEPH RIVER BASIN IN NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHERN
LOWER MICHIGAN...THE UPPER WABASH RIVER BASIN UPSTREAM OF
LAFAYETTE INDIANA IN NORTHERN INDIANA...THE KANKAKEE RIVER BASIN
UPSTREAM OF DUNNS BRIDGE IN NORTHERN INDIANA AND THE MAUMEE
RIVER BASIN IN NORTHEAST INDIANA AND NORTHWEST OHIO UPSTREAM OF
GRAND RAPIDS OHIO AND SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN ALONG WITH THEIR
ASSOCIATED TRIBUTARIES.
...FLOOD POTENTIAL RANGES FROM BELOW NORMAL TO NORMAL ACROSS
THE AREA WITH THE BEST FLOOD POTENTIAL EXPECTED OVER NORTHWEST OHIO
AND NORTHEAST INDIANA...
THIS OUTLOOK IS ISSUED IN ADDITION TO THE 5 DAY RIVER FORECASTS THAT
ARE ISSUED WHEN RIVER FORECAST LOCATIONS ARE IN FLOOD OR FORECAST TO
RISE ABOVE FLOOD STAGE.
THERE IS ONE TABLE FOR THE SAINT JOSEPH RIVER MICHIGAN AND THE UPPER
KANKAKEE RIVER BASIN IN NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN
AND ANOTHER TABLE FOR THE UPPER WABASH AND MAUMEE RIVER BASINS IN
NORTHERN INDIANA AND NORTHWEST OHIO. BOTH TABLES DISPLAY THE CHANCE
OF RIVERS EXCEEDING STAGES AT SPECIFIC LOCATIONS.
CHANCE OF EXCEEDING STAGES AT SPECIFIC LOCATIONS FOR THE UPPER
WABASH AND MAUMEE RIVER BASINS
           ... VALID MARCH 12 2006 - JUNE 10 2006...
MAUMEE RIVER BASIN...
LOCATION         FS(FT)  95%  90%  75%  50%  25%  10%   5%
ST. JOSEPH RIVER...
MONTPELIER OH     12     8.9 10.3 11.9 12.9 13.8 15.6 16.6
NEWVILLE IN       12     8.6  9.8 12.2 12.9 13.6 15.1 15.9
ST. JOE FT W. IN  12     4.8  5.1  8.2  9.4 11.2 14.4 18.9
ST. MARYS RIVER...
DECATUR IN        17     9.6 11.0 13.0 16.0 17.5 21.1 21.9
MULDOON BRIDGE    14     5.5  6.9  7.6  9.8 11.6 15.4 17.3
MAUMEE RIVER...
FORT WAYNE IN     17     7.6  8.5 11.0 14.3 17.7 19.0 19.5
DEFIANCE OH       10     3.7  4.0  5.7  7.8  9.4 11.3 11.4
NAPOLEON OH       12     4.0  4.4  6.7  9.2 10.9 12.6 12.8
TIFFIN RIVER...
STRYKER OH        11     8.0  9.5 11.0 12.9 13.9 15.7 16.2
BLANCHARD RIVER...
OTTAWA OH         23    15.5 17.5 19.1 20.7 21.9 23.1 23.4
AUGLAIZE RIVER...
FORT JENNINGS OH  13     5.3  6.3  8.1 11.1 13.2 15.2 16.1
DEFIANCE OH       21     9.6 10.3 11.9 14.5 16.3 18.9 19.3
UPPER WABASH RIVER BASIN...
LOCATION         FS(FT)  95%  90%  75%  50%  25%  10%   5%
WABASH RIVER...
LINN GROVE        11     6.6  6.8  8.1  8.9  9.7 11.7 12.7
BLUFFTON IN       10     5.3  5.9  7.3  8.8  9.8 12.4 13.3
WABASH IN         14     7.8  8.7  9.4 10.9 12.5 13.9 15.0
LOGANSPORT IN     15     6.4  6.6  7.4  8.1  9.1  9.8 10.1
TIPPECANOE RIVER...
ORA IN            12     7.5  8.4  9.6 10.7 12.0 12.9 13.8
WINAMAC IN        11     5.2  5.2  5.3  5.5  6.9  8.5  9.4
MISSISSINEWA RIVER...
MARION IN         12     3.2  4.5  5.4  6.5  7.5  9.6 12.3
CHANCE OF EXCEEDING STAGES AT SPECIFIC LOCATIONS FOR THE UPPER
KANKAKEE AND ST. JOSEPH RIVER MICHIGAN
             ... VALID MARCH 13 2006 - JUNE 11 2006 ...
LOCATION   FS(FT)  90%  80%  70%  60%  50%  40%  30%  20%  10%
KANKAKEE RIVER...
DAVIS IN     10.0  7.9  8.4  9.0  9.2  9.4  9.6  9.9 10.3 10.6
YELLOW RIVER...
PLYMOUTH IN  13.0  7.0  7.9  8.5  9.3  9.8 10.5 11.3 12.1 12.4
KNOX IN      10.0  6.2  6.7  7.0  7.4  7.6  7.9  8.2  8.6  8.8
ST. JOSEPH RIVER...
THREE RVRS MI 7.0  4.7  5.0  5.3  5.4  5.7  5.9  6.1  6.4  6.8
MOTTVILLE MI  8.0  4.2  4.5  4.9  5.0  5.3  5.5  5.6  6.0  6.4
ELKHART IN   24.0 20.1 20.6 20.8 21.2 21.5 21.7 22.1 22.5 23.2
SOUTH BEND IN 5.5  1.3  2.1  2.4  3.0  3.5  3.6  4.0  4.6  5.2
NILES MI     11.0  6.2  6.8  7.3  7.7  8.2  8.3  8.8  9.4 10.0
ELKHART RIVER...
GOSHEN IN     7.0  3.3  3.4  3.8  4.4  4.7  5.1  5.4  6.0  6.6
THESE LONG-RANGE PROBABILISTIC OUTLOOKS CONTAIN FORECAST VALUES THAT
ARE CALCULATED USING MULTIPLE SEASON SCENARIOS FROM 30 OR MORE YEARS
OF CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA INCLUDING CURRENT CONDITIONS OF THE RIVER...
SOIL MOISTURE... SNOW MELT AND 30 TO 90 DAY LONG-RANGE OUTLOOKS OF
TEMPERATURE AND PRECIPITATION. BY PROVIDING THE COMPLETE RANGE OF
PROBABILITIES... THE LEVEL OF RISK ASSOCIATED WITH LONG RANGE
PLANNING DECISIONS CAN BE DETERMINED. THESE PROBABILISTIC FORECASTS
ARE A PART OF NOAA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICES ADVANCED HYDROLOGIC
PREDICTION SERVICE.
            ...SNOW COVER AND LIQUID WATER CONTENT...
AS OF MARCH 10 2006 THERE WAS NO SNOW ON THE GROUND ACROSS THE
ENTIRE AREA. MILD WEATHER OVER THE PAST TWO AND A HALF MONTHS HAS
MELTED ALL THE SNOW THAT FELL LAST DECEMBER.
            ...SOIL CONDITIONS AND FROST DEPTH...
SOIL MOISTURE AS MEASURED BY THE PALMER DROUGHT SEVERITY INDEX FOR
DATA THROUGH MARCH 4 2006 RANGED FROM MINUS 2.5 OVER NORTHWEST
INDIANA TO A PLUS 2.9 OVER SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN. NORTH CENTRAL
INDIANA AND NORTHEAST INDIANA HAD VALUES RANGING FROM MINUS 0.7 TO
PLUS 0.4. SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN AND NORTHWEST
OHIO HAD VALUES BETWEEN PLUS 1.3 AND PLUS 1.9
READINGS BETWEEN PLUS 2 AND PLUS 3 INDICATE UNUSUAL MOIST SOIL
MOISTURE CONDITIONS. READINGS BETWEEN PLUS 1.9 AND MINUS 1.9
INDICATE NEAR NORMAL SOIL MOISTURE AND READINGS BETWEEN MINUS 2 AND
MINUS 2.9 INDICATE MODERATE DROUGHT.
THE DROUGHT MONITOR WITH DATA THROUGH MARCH 7 2006 INDICATE THAT
NORTHWEST INDIANA IS IN MODERATE DROUGHT WITH FAR NORTH CENTRAL
INDIANA AND SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN HAVING ABNORMALLY DRY
CONDITIONS. THE REST OF THE AREA HAD NORMAL OR MORE MOIST
CONDITIONS.
WITH THE WARM WEATHER OVER THE PAST TWO AND A HALF MONTHS...THE
SOILS ARE COMPLETELY THAWED.
                 ...RIVER CONDITIONS...
CURRENTLY FLOWS ON THE MAUMEE AND UPPER WABASH RIVER BASINS ARE
RUNNING WELL BELOW NORMAL WITH PERCENT FLOWS RUNNING FROM 10 TO 40
PERCENT OF NORMAL. MOST LOCATIONS IN THE KANKAKEE RIVER BASIN HAD
FLOWS AS MEASURED BY THE USGS IN THE 10 TO 24 PERCENTILE
RANGE...WHILE THE ST. JOSEPH MICHIGAN RIVER BASIN HAD FLOWS IN THE
25 TO 74 PERCENTILE RANGE. NO FLOODING IS OCCURRING IN THE AREA
WITH ALL RIVERS AND STREAMS WELL BELOW FLOOD STAGE AT THIS TIME.
ALL RIVERS AND LAKES ARE CURRENTLY ICE FREE.
                ...WEATHER OUTLOOKS...
AN UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE WESTERN LOWER
GREAT LAKES REGION FROM FRIDAY MARCH 10 THROUGH TUESDAY MARCH 14.
THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR HEAVY RAIN IN SEVERAL BOUTS OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WITH THE BEST CHANCE OF HEAVY RAIN BEING SATURDAY
NIGHT AND SUNDAY NIGHT.
THE 6 TO 10 DAY OUTLOOK VALID FROM WEDNESDAY MARCH 15 2006 TO SUNDAY
MARCH 19 2006 CALLS FOR A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF BELOW NORMAL
TEMPERATURES AND A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION.
NORMAL HIGHS ARE IN THE UPPER 40S AND NORMAL LOW TEMPERATURES ARE IN
THE UPPER 20S TO 30 DEGREES. NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR THIS TIME
PERIOD IS AROUND A HALF INCH.
THE 30 DAY CLIMATE OUTLOOK FOR MARCH INDICATES EQUAL CHANCES OF
ABOVE/BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND PRECIPITATION. BY THE END OF
MARCH NORMAL HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE LOWER TO MID 50S AND NORMAL
LOWS ARE IN THE LOWER 30S.  NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR MARCH IS AROUND
2.9 INCHES.
                 ...FLOOD OUTLOOK SUMMARY...
LOW RIVER AND STREAM FLOWS ACROSS THE AREA ALONG WITH DRY SOILS IN
OUR NORTHWEST AREAS AS WELL AS THAWED SOIL POINT TO BELOW NORMAL
FLOOD POTENTIAL. HOWEVER MORE MOIST SOILS TO OUR EAST INCREASE
THE FLOOD POTENTIAL. FLOOD POTENTIAL RANGES FROM BELOW NORMAL FOR
THE UPPER KANKAKEE...ST. JOSEPH RIVER MICHIGAN AND UPPER WABASH RIVER
BASINS TO AROUND NORMAL FOR THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN. HEAVY
RAINS INCREASE FLOOD POTENTIAL.
WITH HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA THIS WEEKEND AND
EARLY NEXT WEEK...FLOOD POTENTIAL WILL INCREASE IN AREAS WHERE THE
HEAVY RAIN OCCURS.
THERE IS A 5 PERCENT CHANCE OF MAJOR FLOODING...50 PERCENT CHANCE OF
MODERATE FLOODING AND 90 PERCENT CHANCE MINOR FLOODING ALONG THE
ST. JOSEPH /OHIO/ RIVER WHICH IS IN THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN. THERE
IS ALSO A 10 PERCENT CHANCE OF MODERATE FLOODING AND A 75 PERCENT
CHANCE OF MINOR FLOODING ALONG THE TIFFIN RIVER IN NORTHWEST OHIO
WHICH IS ALSO PART OF THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN. THERE IS A 10 PERCENT
CHANCE OF MODERATE AND 25 PERCENT CHANCE OF MINOR FLOODING ON
THE ST. MARYS RIVER WHICH IS ALSO IN THE MAUMEE RIVER BASIN. THERE IS
A 5 PERCENT CHANCE OF MODERATE FLOODING AND A 25 PERCENT CHANCE OF
MINOR FLOODING ALONG THE AUGLAIZE RIVER WHICH IS ALSO A PART OF THE
MAUMEE RIVER BASIN.
THERE IS A LESS THAN 10 PERCENT CHANCE OF MINOR FLOODING IN THE
ST. JOSEPH /MICHIGAN/ RIVER BASIN WHICH COVERS FAR SOUTHERN LOWER
MICHIGAN AND NORTH CENTRAL INDIANA.
THERE IS A 10 PERCENT CHANCE OF MINOR FLOODING IN THE KANKAKEE
RIVER BASIN.
THERE IS A 5 PERCENT CHANCE OF MODERATE FLOODING AND A 25 PERCENT
ON THE TIPPECANOE RIVER WHICH IS PART OF THE UPPER WABASH RIVER
BASIN. THERE IS A 10 PERCENT CHANCE OF MINOR FLOODING ON THE WABASH
RIVER WHICH IS IN THE UPPER WABASH RIVER BASIN.
               ...FLOOD TERMINOLIGY...
THE TERM MINOR FLOODING IS USED TO INDICATE MINIMAL OR NO PROPERTY
DAMAGE. HOWEVER SOME PUBLIC INCONVENIENCE IS POSSIBLE.
THE TERM MODERATE FLOODING IS USED TO INDICATE THE INUNDATION OF
SECONDARY ROADS. TRANSFER TO A HIGHER ELEVATION MAY BE NECESSARY TO
SAVE PROPERTY. SOME EVACUATIONS MAY BE REQUIRED.
THE TERM MAJOR FLOODING IS USED TO INDICATE EXTENSIVE INUNDATION
AND PROPERTY DAMAGE USUALLY CHARACTERIZED BY THE EVACUATION OF PEOPLE
AND LIVESTOCK AND CLOSURE OF BOTH PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ROADS.
ADDITIONAL SUPPORTIVE DATA AND EXPLANATIONS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE
INTERNET AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/IWX (INTERNET ADDRESS IN ALL LOWER CASE
LETTERS.
THIS WILL BE THE LAST SPRING FLOOD AND WATER RESOURCES OUTLOOK
UNLESS THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN HYDROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. THE
NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION WILL BE ISSUING ITS
2006 SPRING OUTLOOK ON THURSDAY...MARCH 16.  VISIT: WWW.NOAA.GOV TO
OBTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT THIS NATIONAL OUTLOOK.
$$