Saskatchewan heads into winter soaked like a sponge

Saskatchewan is soaked like a sponge as it heads into the winter,and that could mean more flooding than usual during spring runoff next year.

Saskatchewan's Water Security Agency released its fall conditions report on Thursday.

The report said the province received precipitation this year 150 to 200 per cent above normal. All that rain fell on an already saturated prairie landscape.

"Consecutive years of above normal precipitation have resulted in larger wetlands areas across the province remaining near full heading into the winter, and many creeks continue to flow at or near record levels for this time of year," the agency stated in a news release.

Winter snowpack will be critical this year

The amount of snow that falls in Saskatchewan this winter will be a critical factor in determining the level of flooding next spring.

With an abundance of subsurface moisture already, there will be limited capacity for the landscape to absorb water from melting snow.

Even a normalsnowpackthis winter could result in an above normal spring runoff.

The complete fall conditions report can be viewed here.