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Jed Boal reporting As many of you prepare for potential flooding this spring, you probably want to have as much information as possible about your area.
There are resources you can use at home to educate yourself about potential flood danger.
We might just get through the next two months with really high flows on rivers and creeks. Then again, some areas will likely flood. Whichever scenario plays out in your area, you can track it on line.
January floods in Washington County left Utahns edgy about the potential this spring.
That was a drenching rain, and hydrologists say a repeat performance during spring run-off is very unlikely.
But all of this snow must come down, and selected areas are at risk for flooding.
Brian McInerney/National Weather Service Hydrologist: "The sring climate will dictate how this run-off scenario occurs. That's the crucial point of this."
Brian McInerney keeps an eye on those scenarios. If knowledge is power, we all have plenty of power at our fingertips when it comes to flood watch.
McInerney points people to the website of The Colorado River Basin Forecast Center. You can compare current stream flow data with past years and average flow. River forecasts for streams across the state. And you can look at snowpack data from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Brian McInerney/National Weather Service Hydrologist: "You can look at a wide range of data, which should give you more information, which will allow you to be more comfortable in your situation if you are worried about high flows this spring."
Keep an eye on areas with tremendous snowpack, like Coal Creek above Cedar City and the southern slope of the Uintas.
If you live near water, find out how it's flowing.
Brian McInerney/National Weather Service Hydrologist: "All these things will help you gain insight to what the weather, what the hydrologic forecast bring for you and allow you to sleep better at night, than having unknown concerns."
The spring climate during the next few weeks is the wild card. That will determine how high the water flows.
