SALT LAKE CITY — There’s a lot of snow sitting in the mountains.
“Hopefully, we can get mother nature's support in bringing that all down in stages, instead of all down at once," said Clint Mecham, the director of Salt Lake County Emergency Management.
Cool April days are slowing the flow of runoff, he said.
“Mother nature is cooperating in a lot of regards," said Mecham. "We're getting a little bit of warm-up during the day, and then it's cooling back off at night, which is what we want to see.”
As we get closer to May, officials are worried about a sudden warm-up.
“What we really want is the goldilocks scenario where it's not coming off too fast and not too slow, but just right, so our system can handle the amount of snow that needs to run off and come down," said Candice Hasenyager, the director of Utah's Division of Water Resources.
Emigration Creek was the first to flood this season, and officials believe that it has peaked. Traditionally, City Creek and Millcreek are the next to flood, said Mecham. If you live near these creeks, now is the time to prepare.
“Check the way the water flows around your house as the snow has melted this spring," he said. "Does it run away from your house, or does it run to your house? If it runs to your house, you might need to dig small channels out to the street or to a drainage in order to keep that water running away from your house.”
Even though the air might be warm this weekend, that water will still be cold and running fast, he said.
Community members can sign up to be alerted of future volunteer opportunities for filling sandbags here.
