Some rivers exit flood stage as spring runoff draws closer to an end
May 31, 2023, 9:00 AM | Updated: 11:09 am
FILE: The Weber River swells from a melting snowpack in Fort Buenaventura Park in Ogden on Monday, April 17, 2023. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
(Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY— Utah’s spring runoff inches closer to an end and more rivers and creeks are exiting flood stage, some for the first time in weeks.
According to the KSL River Flow Tracker as of Wednesday morning, two portions of the Bear River were barely in flood stage, as was the Sevier River near Hatch. All other monitored waterways were within their banks.
National Weather Service Senior Meteorologist Monica Traphagan told KSL Newsradio that given all the water we had in the mountains, we’ve seen very few flood problems this spring.
According to KSL Meteorologist Matt Johnson, there is still an average of 11% of the snowpack remaining across the state.
However, there is still 48% of snowpack remaining in the Cottonwoods. Traphagan said the snowpack at Snowbird alone still contains 30 inches of water.
The good news is that Mother Nature is now tapping into the higher-elevation snowpack, meaning we’re inching closer to exiting flood season.
Traphagan said much of the lower and mid-level snow is gone, meaning areas like the Cottonwoods now take center stage.
According to the River Flow Tracker, both Big and Little Cottonwood Creeks are not in flood stage, but they are running fast as runoff picks up.
