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SALT LAKE CITY -- Concern over potential flooding in northern Utah is keeping professional weather-watchers glued to monitors and computers, as they track the latest data.
Related:
Minor flooding reported in Cache Valley
Even with a couple of days of higher temperatures and 24 hours of rain, most rivers and creeks are staying in their banks. The Cache Valley is the only part of the state where the flood threat has materialized.The National Weather Service's office in Salt Lake City is filled with dozens of computers, monitors and gadgets. Hydrologist Brian McInerney said, "As you can see on the main screen, these are all the hydrographs that we're using."
Additionally, something called a radiosonde hooks onto a weather balloon, giving hydrologists a look at current conditions. Nanette Hosenfeld is busy.
"My job is to get all the data and send it out," she said. Right now, "it's looking good if you like rain," she added.
Related:
Flood Watch River Flow Tracker
Check water levels at Utah's rivers and streams withe KSL's exclusive River Flow Tracker.In addition to gathering the latest numbers on the rain, Glen Merrill is trying to figure out what will happen into the weekend.
The weather could be dry with temperatures in the upper 70s. If it persists, it could presents a problem because mid-level snowpack is 300 percent of normal, on average, and higher-level snowpack is 200 percent of normal.
Too many mild, dry days in a row is a problem, now.
"McInerney said, "If we can warm up for a bit, freeze it up, warm for a bit, freeze it up, we'll start taking the snowpack off in chunks off of the mountain."
Hydrologists are watching data pulled in from steel tubes planted in river banks and from snow high atop the mountains. Workers also check water discharge by wading into rivers and creeks to get readings. It's called "impact-based forecasting."
"We need to communicate this to the users, the public works people, the city engineers, as to what's going to happen in their areas," McInerney explained.
He says a few days of upper 70s will be beneficial for controlling potential flooding, but a week at that temperature will not.
McInerney says he personally doubts any possible flooding would be as severe as the floods of 1983 due to infrastructure put in place since then.
E-mail: aadams@ksl.com
