Several western states are expecting major flooding this year. This comes as a consequence of the heavy snowfall that occurred this winter, which broke all records in the Sierra Nevada in California in the past few months. San Bernardino County, Calif. also suffered one of the worst snowstorms in its history, with dangerous accumulations in urban areas that paralyzed the region.
In the Rocky Mountains, the situation was similar. This past Wednesday, Utah's Republican Governor Spencer Cox declared a state of emergency due to the elevated risk of flooding. "We’re incredibly grateful for the moisture we’ve received this winter, but the extra rain and hefty snowpack present increasing flood risks as the snow melts," Governor Cox said in the statement accompanying his decision. Utah will mobilize $5 million in resources to mitigate the consequences of these floods.
Despite the flooding that we have already seen this year, e have hardly even begun to see Utah's snowmelt. Cold spells like we have today takes some of the pressure off. Conserving water in a wet year like this one is key to replenishing the Great Salt Lake and our reservoirs. pic.twitter.com/PmsLz8yOu0
— Brig Daniels (@BrighamDaniels) April 20, 2023
Several locations in Utah have already experienced landslides that caused severe damage, such as Kaysville, Salt Lake City and Morgan County. There remains a lot of snow left to melt. For now, the state's Natural Resources Conservation Service estimates that 2.9 of the 30 inches of snow that accumulated during the cold months have melted, just 10%. The low temperatures of the last few days could prolong the melting.
In California, snow accumulations in mountainous areas exceed 200% of average in the the northern, central and southern mountain areas in the eastern part of the state. That accumulation, which is beginning to diminish at this time in April, will also translate into flooding for California. However, the Newsom administration has not yet deemed it necessary to take measures such as those announced by Utah. The Department of Water Resources did warn of the possibility of significant increases in river flows coming from the eastern mountain ranges.
Next week looks relatively warm and dry for the West, according to @NOAA’s @NWSCPC. Expect significant snowmelt w/potential for flooding in parts.
Wetter than normal chances for most of the rest of the US. Cooler too, except for the ME and FL. #drought https://t.co/94ZaIaRCCh pic.twitter.com/m9xNJnPGhn
— NIDIS Drought.gov (@DroughtGov) April 20, 2023
The San Joaquin Valley is an area of California that is threatened by flooding. According to experts, "dead" lakes that have been without water for dozens of years could be revived. One example is Tulare Lake, north of Los Angeles, which today is the location of important farms. In 1983 and 1997, storms in California caused heavy flooding in this area. This situation that could be repeated with the snowmelt in the coming months.
