Less snow could mean fewer floods, tame rapids | Weather

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The scant snowfall this winter will continue to affect Northeast waterways this spring as the feeble snowpack melts away.          

Less runoff means less of a chance of rivers and streams swelling their banks. That's good news for the flood-weary region but bad news for rafting companies that depend on rushing waters. It also could affect reservoir levels.          

Not only was this the fourth-warmest winter on record in the 48 contiguous states, but it was drier than average too. The Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University reports below-average snow cover this winter at tracking stations from Maine to West Virginia.

Climatologists say there is little to no snow on the ground in the Northeast to slowly melt into the spring soil. Though torrential rains could still get the waters raging.

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