June 12, 2023 |
Photo – North Platte River – Bigfoot99 file photo
The threat of flooding along the rivers in Carbon County has passed with no significant impact this spring, the National Weather Service reported on Friday.
The good news came during the final scheduled conference call for flood coordinators and the Carbon County Office of Emergency Management. Senior Hydrologist Tony Anderson with the National Weather Service said the Little Snake River is below flood stage. Anderson said the North Platte is still running slightly higher than average in Saratoga, but he said the water should continue to recede. The hydrologist said neither river is expected to rise to danger levels this spring because of snowmelt.
Anderson said his forecasting models show continued chances of afternoon showers and thunderstorms. He said at this point in the season, heavy rainfall is more likely to cause high water than snowmelt. However, Anderson said the chances of flooding are very low except in the Mullen burn scar.
Anderson said mountain snowpacks levels for both the Little Snake and North Platte River basins were now typical for this time of year. He said lower-than-average temperatures in recent weeks have helped keep the snow from melting too quickly.
With forecasts showing that the high-water threat is pretty much over, Emergency Manager Lenny Layman said towns have begun to stand down their flood preparations. Layman said he will focus on removing sandbagging equipment from the Wyoming State Prison and storing everything for future use.
Sergeant Tyler Christen is the emergency manager for Saratoga. Sgt. Christen told residents living close to the North Platte River not to remove sandbags from their property. He said keeping the sandbags along the riverbank and covering them with grass seed will help prevent future erosion and flooding.
Layman said ending the flooding coordinator calls doesn’t mean the Office of Emergency Management will ignore any future floods. He said the rivers will continue to be his number one priority.
Carbon County’s rivers didn’t flood nearly as much as they could have. However, Layman said the county didn’t dodge a bullet. He emphasized that the entire county was ready to take on whatever the rivers offered.
