Women swept away in Weber County; Salt Lake eyes Migrant Creek

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Flood warnings and advisories remain in effect for most of Utah this week, though the immediate danger is coming to an end.

After hovering in the 80s Saturday through Tuesday — with Salt Lake City expected to hit the mid-80s again on Wednesday — temperatures will drop, according to the National Weather Service. The Salt Lake City area is forecast to see lows of 70 degrees on Thursday and lows of 60 degrees Friday through Wednesday.

The drop in temperatures should slow the rate at which Utah’s record winter snowpack is melting, which is exacerbating flood risks. Normal temperatures for this time of year are in the mid to upper 60s Fahrenheit.

Meanwhile, flooding problems continue to plague the Beehive state.

Woman swept away in Weber County

In Weber County on Tuesday, rescuers continued the search for a woman who was swept away by the fast-moving Weber River Monday night near Uinta. According to Webb Fire District officials, witnesses heard screams as they saw a woman trapped in the rushing water.

The woman is believed to be in her 20s. As of late Monday, the ongoing search along the river had turned into a recovery mission.

Salt Lake City eyes Immigrant Creek

In Salt Lake City, officials are keeping a close eye on Emigration Creek, which is expected to pass flood stage late Tuesday and Wednesday.

Salt Lake City Utilities Director Laura Briefer told city council members Tuesday afternoon that Emigration Creek peaked Monday night, but flow was lower than expected. A flood warning for the creek remained in effect through Thursday morning.

The flood protection system has the capacity to handle peak flow, which is currently forecast to be close to 160 cubic feet per second. But Briefer said teams would be working around the clock to ensure no problems were caused by blocked culverts or storm drains. The creek’s flow peaked at 155 cfs in mid-April when a clogged system caused water to overflow along a road near Wasatch Hollow Park.

If flooding occurs, officials expect it to be minor and limited to roads. To report questions or concerns about the status of Emigration Creek, call the Salt Lake City Department of Public Works’ 24-hour dispatch hotline at 801-483-6700.

“After the work on Emigration Creek was done this week,” Briefer said, “we’re also watching Parleys Creek and City Creek very carefully and making sure the debris basin above Memory Grove is well maintained.”

Traffic in City Creek is only just starting to pick up, she said. But the expected cooling-off period this weekend appears to be the ideal time for a runoff.

Brieler noted that the Jordan River is not expected to cause problems in the coming days because both the river and the surplus canal have capacity.

Mudslide in Little Cottonwood Canyon

A large mudslide swept State Route 210 about halfway through Little Cottonwood Canyon Tuesday afternoon, pushing thick layers of mud across the road.

At the time, the road was closed due to the heightened avalanche risk. As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, the Utah Department of Transportation did not have an estimate for when to reopen.

Earlier Tuesday, State Highway 190 in Big Cottonwood Canyon was closed for avalanche mitigation work.The road reopened around 3pm

East of Provo, a 30-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 89 through Spanish Fork Canyon was closed overnight Monday due to flooding. As of late Tuesday morning, the stretch from the intersection on U.S. Highway 6 near Thistle to Mount Pleasant was reopened, but could close again, officials said.

Sugar House Park closed to cars for at least two weeks

Sugar House Park will be closed to vehicles through at least May 14. The park was designed as a detention basin, and the area around the park’s ponds remains submerged by controlled releases from the Sandell and Little Dale reservoirs.

Flooding also occurred at Parleys Nature Preserve and Hidden Hollow on Tuesday, which are also designed as detention basins.

Officials monitor Hyrum Dam spillway

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is monitoring the spillway at Hyrum Dam on the Little Bear River about 9 miles southwest of Logan around the clock as operators release “significant amounts of water” to help manage water levels in Hyrum Reservoir as warmer temperatures “significantly increase snowmelt and inflows.” runoff from the reservoir.”

A flood watch remained in effect for the area below the reservoir Friday morning.

“The spillway has served us for 90 years,” said Wayne Pullan, the bureau’s regional director, “but because of its age, and because it lacks the character of a modern spillway — and out of an abundance of caution — the reclamation It quickly began placing heavy equipment and riprap material near the spillway in case we needed to take immediate action.”

In Paradise, south of Hyrum, a flood warning is in effect for the Little Bear River.

Hyrum Dam was built in 1935 to provide storage capacity for irrigation and municipal use.

Garden City flood warning remains in effect

A flood warning is in effect for the Rich County Garden City area until 3 p.m. Thursday as snowmelt affects rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying areas.

Garden City’s mayor declared a state of emergency Monday to help better prepare for flooding and flood mitigation. He encourages all homeowners to inspect their properties, noting that about 80 percent of homes are vacation homes or short-term rentals.

Other Flood Risks in Utah

Further south, a flood watch for the lower Weber River in Plain City was canceled on Tuesday after an updated forecast said the river would remain below 27 feet of flood level.

But the weather service warned that traffic in the “action range” – between 25-27 feet – would continue into next week. A flood warning was in place for the area until Friday night.

Near Huntsville, the South Fork of the Ogden River has a “moderate” flood risk through Thursday. The river is expected to peak at 5.3 feet/1,500 cfs Friday morning, above flood level of 4.6 feet/992 cfs. Traffic will be reduced to weekends.

In southern Utah, a flood warning has been issued for the Sevier River near the town of Hatch in Garfield County. The river is expected to “oscillate” around flood level (3.9 feet) Friday morning. Water levels are expected to drop over the weekend.

— Salt Lake Tribune staff writer Blake Apgar contributed to this report.