EVANSTON — The Uinta County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) held its quarterly meeting on Thursday, April 18, in the basement of the Uinta County Complex. The topic at hand was flooding potential from snow melt and runoff from the Uinta Mountains.

National Weather Service (NWS) Senior Service Hydrologist Glen Merrill presented. While it was a drier winter than a year prior, the snowfall during January, February and March made up for the initial lack.

“It was quite prolific, though not to the extent of last year,” Merrill said, adding that it replenished drought-plagued aquifers.

“[Having] back-to-back [heavy] winters was so important, bringing huge volume but also necessitating water movement management,” Merrill said. 

Runoff season typically begins in April and lasts through July. This year’s accumulation of mountain snowpack has “peaked out, and is now transitioning to runoff,” Merrill said.  “The low elevation snow came off quickly, causing rivers to rise,” he added.

Merrill explained that March temperatures were a bit cooler than normal, which retained lower-elevation snowpack longer than usual. However, the cool downs didn’t necessarily bring additional precipitation either.

Ultimately, Merrill said he feels fairly confident that Uinta County will not be at risk for flooding this year, barring an unusual storm bringing record-setting precipitation, or an unlikely several-days-long heat spike melting off the remaining mountain snowpack at higher altitudes.

“It’s looking really good in Evanston, as far as abating flood risks. Keep watching the weather, that will dictate how it comes off the hill,” Merrill concluded.

Meteorologist Hayden Mahan, also from the NWS, briefly discussed upcoming weather forecasts.  While acknowledging late-April storms, he said, “It’s abnormal to see little in the way of precipitation, but probably a good thing given the last couple of years.”

Mahan also said that early-May temperatures appear to be slightly above normal, and precipitation is favored.

Uinta County Emergency Manager Josh Rasnake closed out the presentation by expressing gratitude to Merrill and Mahan.

“I appreciate the partnership I have with the weather service,” he said.

While there isn’t currently a plan to fill sandbags, Rasnake added, “If things change, we’ll change with it.”

The next LEPC meeting is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, July 18, at 2 p.m., again in the basement of the Uinta County Complex.