Much of eastern Idaho at risk for some flooding

POCATELLO – High temperatures are set to melt recent snowfall, meaning much of eastern Idaho will be experiencing flooding in the coming days.

The National Weather Service in Pocatello has issued an official flood warning for Rigby.

As for the rest of eastern Idaho, many cities are being told to expect a “hydraulic outlook,” the lowest level of flood concern in the following cities:

• Dubois
• Rexburg
• Idaho Falls
• Blackfoot
• Palisades
• Soda Springs
• Shoshone
• Burley
• Malad City
• Montpelier
• Preston

Andrew McKaughan with NWS says that as temperatures rise to the mid to high 60s and even 70s in some areas, eastern Idaho will start to see flooding as much of the ground underneath is still frozen.

“It’ll come as no surprise to anyone that we’ve had a lot of snow this winter,” says McKaughan. “That snow is starting to melt, and in a lot of places, the ground is still pretty frozen, so the water isn’t able to be absorbed by the ground all that well, so we get what we call sheet flooding, which is basically just the water has ponded on top of the ground and it can’t soak into the soil anymore because the ground is still kind of frozen. We expect that to continue here for the next few days with these warmer temperatures.”

The NWS expects temperatures to cool down toward the middle and end of the week, bringing back the potential for rain and snow.

“As we get into the middle and later part of the week, the weather pattern changes a little bit, and we look to cool down a bit more and probably bring some rain and snow chances back into the forecast, much cooler temperatures,” says McKaughan. “So that should alleviate some of the snowmelt issues that we’re going to see here for the next few days.”

What can you do?

McKaughan says the best way to prepare for flooding is to be proactive and try to divert snow from any problem areas around your home.

“Anyone that has had flooding issues in past winters or past springs, just try to prepare your home. Try to get snow away from window wells and do whatever you can to get the water away from any trouble spots,” says McKaughan. “Sometimes, there’s just nothing you can do, but if you can try to divert the water away from any areas of concern, that’s obviously going to be your best bet. But there is a lot of snow and a lot of water that we’re going to have to deal with for the next few days.”

See the NWS forecast watch map here, and check back to EastIdahoNews.com for more weather updates.