Northern Saskatchewan residents can breathe a sigh of relief – it appears there won’t be high levels of water runoff this spring, meaning the likelihood of flooding is low.

The Saskatchewan Water Security Agency released their latest spring runoff forecast, and with the exception of the far southeast corner of the province, this year’s runoff is expected to be at or below normal levels.

There was concern at the outset of winter, as higher-than-average fall precipitation left the ground soaked at freeze-up.

But the lower-than-average winter precipitation to this point means it’s unlikely there will be any issues when the spring thaw comes around.

The runoff prediction was also helped by the mild days the province has experienced this winter, when the snowpack began to melt ahead of schedule.

Even the extreme weather of the past few days is unlikely to create any significant issues, the report indicated.

For more on this story, please see the March 10 print or e-edition of the Daily Herald.