Utah-Wide Flood Watch

Anybody who’s been in Utah this spring would notice that it’s been wet. Neverending, dreary rain and snow in the valleys. And obviously much-higher-than-average snowfall in the mountains -more than 670 inches to date (56 feet, or 17 meters), and counting! But everyone knows that this can’t last forever and, by June, Utah’s going to be uncomfortably hot. So what happens when the seasons bypass spring and winter turns suddenly into summer?

Nearly ¾ of Utah’s population resides on the western front of the Wasatch Mountains. These mighty peaks, drained by countless streams and rivers, currently hold a huge amount of frozen water, ready to melt at any minute.

As of Sunday, April 17, flood watches had been officially issued for Salt Lake and Cache counties. Reservoir releases are being meticulously adjusted to prepare for inundation of water above and below the dams. In Weber County, some levees broke on April 19, flooding farmland.

Nobody knows yet whether the mountains will drain their snow melt quietly into the Great Salt Lake, or whether flooding will mark the spring of 2011. But if you’re interested in following, the Utah Valley local news station, Deseret News, is running a blog on the topic. Also, check out news videos from the historic Salt Lake floods of 1983.