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John Hollenhorst ReportingA combination of runoff and rain has rivers in southern Utah rising. Flood watchers are keeping a wary eye on the streams in case they come out of their banks. At least one flood watcher in Southwestern Utah thought this weekend had brought the weather scenario he feared the most: rain and warm temperatures. But it looks as though it's not bad at all.
The Iron County emergency director told KSL he was scared this morning. But he's relieved now after checking stream flows in Cedar City. In the areas with the deepest snow, it didn't melt. It just got more snow.
Further south, in the St. George area, stream flows are definitely up, in places nearly to the tops of the banks. That's a reminder of the flood disaster in January. But flows today are only about one-sixth what they were then. The river channels can easily handle it.
There was a scare this afternoon. Four teenagers tried to drive across swollen LaVerkin Creek. They got stuck and had to be rescued.
In the high country East of Cedar City, a mud and rock slide blocked Highway 14 for awhile yesterday. That's another thing people will be watching for with the ground so heavily saturated.
There was a fair amount of rain in Northern Utah. But we have no reports of flooding or slides. In Ogden Canyon one resident says the stream flow below Pineview Reservoir is the highest in seven years. It's a lot of fun for kayakers, but it puts water very close to backyards and homes.
Still, that homeowner along the Ogden River told us she's not worried, because it's a controlled release from Pineview Dam, something that used to be routine until we all got used to the drought.
