HASTINGS, Minn. — A flood height marker along the Hastings Riverwalk shows just how high the Mississippi River rose in years past.
"2001 - 22 ft.," said business owner Jennifer Melecio; while historic flooding in 1965 caused the river to crest at a record 26 feet.
Melecio, the co-owner of Lock and Dam Eatery, looks forward to the changing seasons.
"The second it hits 50 degrees, warm and sunny, everyone wants to be outside," she said.
But she worries the warmer weather may also bring the potential for flooding. Her restaurant opened in 2014, when she says floodwater covered most of the walkway seen here.
"Maybe there was a burst when this happened," she said. "Sometimes it's up here and then it just slowly goes away."
According to the National Weather Service, the latest flood outlook for the Mississippi, Minnesota, and Chippewa River basins remains well above normal.
Experts say the very high snowpack for this time of year has remained in place over the last two weeks.
"I do know because we had record snow, that's always a concern," said Melecio.
The National Weather Service says patterns for the next week show a slow melting period through the end of March, but the threat of flooding depends on how much rain we get as we move into April.
But in the meantime, business owners like Melecio - are keeping a close eye on the river and staying alert.
"We're lucky we're high enough but it does start to cover our walkway and the deck down there and it's something you have to watch out for," said Melecio.
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