National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, flood forecasting models indicate a 50 percent chance that the Red Cedar will reach nearly nine feet, potentially flooding surrounding athletic fields, farmland and secondary roads and impacting Jenison Fieldhouse and IM Sports-Circle.
The peak chance of flooding will occur during the week of March 24-31, the NOAA forecasting models predict.
Last week, university officials sent out an email telling staff to review weather emergency protocol and prepare for the possibility of flooding “causing road and building closures and potentially causing some operations on campus to be suspended.”
Lending to the flooding potential is the amount of snowfall dumped on East Lansing this winter. According to NOAA, the city has accumulated nearly 158 percent more snow than last year.
Because of the extra 25 inches of snow, there is roughly two to five inches of water in the remaining snowpack, an “unusual” amount for this time of year, NOAA meteorologist Mark Sekelsky said.
The intensity of flooding, Sekelsky said, is a question of how fast the snow will melt and how much rain will come with it.
“In the worst case scenario, you would have record flooding, and that would be if we were to release all that water in a day or two, or with a rain storm with multiple inches of rain over the course of a day or two,” Sekelsky said. “More likely to happen would be the flooding of a lesser extent, with warm temperatures for a week and a rain event or two.”
In preparation for the possibility, MSU departments are participating with emergency officials in flood response drills, said Kemel Dawkins, vice president of strategic Infrastructure Planning and Facilities.
If the Red Cedar will exceed its banks, Dawkins said they will position flood barriers and sandbags along the river. In the event it breaches these barriers, he said they will position the measures around the exteriors of potentially affected buildings.
In the city, East Lansing Infrastructure Administrator Ron LaCasse said there are several teams tasked with clearing the storm drains of all snow blockage.
