MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The risk of significant flooding in the Red River Valley is down from recent years - and even lower than forecasters earlier expected - due to the lack of snow.
    
Thursday's update from the National Weather Service bolsters hopes the region may be spared a fourth consecutive battle this spring.
    
While the risk on the Red and its Minnesota and North Dakota tributaries has receded a bit from December's forecast, there's still a greater than 50 percent chance of minor flooding at Fargo-Moorhead on the Red and at Dilworth on the Buffalo River in Minnesota. The impact of minor flooding is generally low.
    
There's also a fair chance of minor flooding at Grand Forks, N.D., meaning over 33 percent.
    
The forecast could change if the region gets significant precipitation.