Prior to the snow levels reaching their highest in April, Utah prepares for possible flooding

Salt Lake City, Utah – Even though spring has officially arrived and the risk of avalanches is declining, flooding could be another upcoming natural hazard. After the snow levels peak in April, the spring runoff will soon commence.

In certain regions, experts are already getting ready for the possible flooding that this may bring.

“It doesn’t seem like there’s been a whole lot of snow,” said Jessica Stokes, a Utah resident.

The time frame from April to July during which snowmelt can cause bodies of water to overflow is known as the spring runoff. The Utah Water Division reports that reservoirs are eighty percent full.

“Keep your eye open for water rising,” Stokes said. “I will definitely take precautions because you never know when that may happen.”

Wade Mathews of the Utah Division of Emergency Management, however, stated that they are getting ready before the melting starts.

“We certainly hope that we don’t see as much flooding as we did last year for everyone’s sake. We don’t want to see that, you know? So, we want people to be prepared because there’s always potential for that,” Mathews said.

The state currently has a higher-than-average water content and snowpack.

“Just about anywhere in the state could potentially have a potential for flooding,” Mathews said.

He advises people to determine whether their property is in a flood zone and, if so, to get ready by gathering sandbags, creating an emergency plan, and thinking about purchasing flood insurance.

“I think it’s still a little bit too early to identify that, and it depends,” Mathews said. “Again, there’s a lot of factors involved, including how the snowpack level is, the water content of the snow, the temperatures, and whether the temperatures are rising faster or slower.”