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Amanda Butterfield and Marc Giaugue ReportingYou may be ready for the temperatures in the 80's, but the flood watchers are hoping it stays mild for a while.
Even with the recent heavy spring storms, hydrologists aren't worried about immediate flooding. Temperatures are too cool for that.
Ideally, weeks of mild temperatures would bring down snow pack slowly. But that's probably NOT going to happen.
Hydrologists are keeping a close eye on rivers that have the potential to flood when the spring run-off starts. And really that's what they're waiting for, spring run-off to start.
Brian McInerney, Hydrologist: "This office is staffed seven days a week, 24 hours a day."
Spring is always a busy time for the National Weather Service in Salt Lake.
Brian McInerney, Hydrologist: "Now we're at daily monitoring."
But this year there seems to be a lot of waiting for the run-off to start.
Brian McInerney: "We should have melted snow pack beginning April first. We're now in the third week of April and we haven't really melted any snow pack, we just keep adding to it."
Like today's storm.
If this cool, wet trend continues, then we suddenly spike in to the 90's. That's going to mean a lot of flooding.
Brian McInerney: "If it turns 70 tomorrow, sun, no rain, nice mild temperatures, we should be okay."
But that's probably NOT going to happen, according to their data, and it's Northern Utah they're most worried about.
Brian McInerney: "Logan River, the Blacksmith Fork River, smaller streams in the Cache Valley."
One of the areas creating concern in Salt Lake City is above City Creek. Officials plan to take a helicopter over the headwater's area this week to get a better idea of the kind of runoff to expect.
Because forecasters here can only determine the weather five days out, it's hard to predict when run-off will start, they're just hoping soon.
This time of year also always gets hydrologists nervous because they know how fast and cold the creeks and rivers can get once run-off starts. They want to remind folks, especially kids, to stay away from them.
