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Water storage drops to 50% as Utah rivers surge from storms; Oh, and don't eat hailstones

Overall water storage in Utah has hit 50% and is continuing to fall, while flooding in southeastern Utah sent river levels surging far above their normal baselines.
Water storage drops to 50% as Utah rivers surge from storms; oh, and don't eat hailstones
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SALT LAKE CITY — Water storage in Utah's reservoirs has reached 50% and is declining — far below normal for this time of year.

Flooding hit southeastern Utah with the San Juan River, flowing through the Four Corners region, swelling to 13 times its baseline level.

A photo submitted by a viewer named Fiona, who titled it "Hailstone Cocktails," showed hailstones placed in what could be bourbon or a rum and Coke. While creative, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says hailstones form when updraft winds bounce raindrops around until they gather enough weight to fall.

A hailstone accumulates more than other precipitation because it hangs out in the air a while, accumulating material you wouldn't want added to your cocktail.