A Resumé of the Heavy Snowfall and Persistent Cold of the Winter of 1968-1969 in the Upper Midwest and the Flood Situation Resulting Therefrom

Book excerpt: "The past winter was an extraordinary one, weatherwise, for most residents of the Upper Midwest. There were numerous heavy snowstorms in various sections of the area during the winter and more especially within the 75-day period beginning in mid-December and running through February. Some of these heavy snowstorms were widespread. A number of them were accompanied by strong winds and much drifting and blowing of snow resulting in blizzard or near blizzard conditions. Several were interspersed with ice storms in some localities. One of the cumulative effects of the numerous heavy snowstorms, accompanied by persistently below normal temperatures, has been the development of an unusually deep mantle of snow with a very high water content over much of the area. This has resulted in the imminence of severe flooding on many streams in the area of the Upper and Central Midwest as the spring snowmelt period begins to come to the area. The following sections and the accompanying figures and table point up the nature of the past winter's weather in the Upper Midwest and the seriousness of the flood situation that exists and is even now rapidly unfolding from the snowmelt"--Introduction