The March lion did not roar at the start of the month. In fact, the lion hardly growled all month. And as the month comes to a close this week, the March lamb is enjoying the sunshine and warm weather.
How nice is that?
The Red River Valley region was braced for a big flood. Everyone was on alert for the worst, which did not happen. The March lion did not deliver a major snowstorm or untimely rapid melt of the deep snowpack. A fearsome spring rain, which would have aggravated the flood, did not fall. The flood was major by historical standards, but not devastating, and certainly not as nerve-wracking or costly as the record-setter of 2009.
It's about time the region got a spring break from foul weather. Last year at this time the snow shovels were still flying. Sandbag brigades were working in awful conditions: cold rain changing to snow, bitter winds, rising water wherever one looked. Hospitals and nursing homes had been evacuated a few days before. A flood crest of as high as 42 feet was forecast.
What a difference a year makes. March 2010 will go into the books as a flood crest month, but not as a flood disaster. Weather conditions, while never ideal in this part of the world, were as good as they could have been prior to crests on the Red and its tributaries. Preparations for a big flood were so good that a visitor to Fargo-Moorhead might not have been able to discern a big flood-fighting campaign was under way.
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Today as the mercury scoots toward 65 degrees (is 70 possible?), we're reminded why residents of the far north appreciate the advent of spring weather. Winter is long here. Late winter and early spring more frequently bring floods and the worry that comes with floods. When the sun finally breaks through with a warm day, spirits rise with the temperature.
How nice is that?
Forum editorials represent the opinion of Forum management and the newspaper's Editorial Board.
