WORLD NEWS | Snowmelt causes severe flooding from Southwest to Rockies

FLAGSTAFF, April 14 (AP) After an unseasonably wet winter, rapid spring snow melt has sparked flooding from the Southwest to the Rocky Mountains, prompting the evacuation of residents there and in the upper Midwest. Store sandbags in raging creeks and rivers.

In Flagstaff, Arizona, neighbors on one street have been working side by side since Tuesday, using shovels to clear flood water from their homes.

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Three creek cisterns installed last year helped initially, city emergency officials said. But water has flooded the shoulder of a local highway and several roads and sidewalks have been closed. Even parts of city trails were flooded.

Officials called the unprecedented volume of water impossible to plan for.

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“It would be nice to have an exact model of what we need to do. But we don’t know,” Flagstaff Deputy Mayor Austin Aslan told the Arizona Daily Sun on Wednesday. “We don’t know what the next fire will look like, or where the scars will be. The small difference in directing water to one community or another.”

Sandoval County in north-central New Mexico issued an emergency disaster declaration after severe flooding in communities near the Jemez River. The river was 7.5 feet (2 meters) high as of Thursday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Residents of the village of Jemez Pueblo, known for its mineral hot springs, collect sandbags as a precaution. The police chief there estimated that a dozen homes and other structures along the river could be at risk.

The flooding also caused an overflow at the sewage treatment plant, which is discharging recycled water into the Jemez River. The U.S. Forest Service warned the public not to go fishing or drink water south of the plant.

In Salt Lake City, Mayor Erin Mendenhall signed an emergency order late Wednesday aimed at helping residents whose homes were threatened by flooding in the southeast of the city. Rapidly melting snow in nearby mountains caused water to flow through a nearby creek, prompting the voluntary evacuation of about 100 homes.

The water is receding as cooler weather moves into the area. Even so, there were reports of multiple mudslides on Canyon Road, including one that forced the temporary closure of Interstate 80 southeast of the city early Thursday.

On Wednesday, local officials north of Salt Lake City issued evacuation orders for at least 20 homes in Keysville, where floodwaters tore a large crack and damaged streets, sidewalks and driveways under construction.

Meanwhile, heavy snow and temperatures expected to reach 60 degrees on Thursday led to flooding in northwest Colorado, with traffic officials closing Highway 40 between Craig and Steamboat Springs, a The popular ski area has more than 400 inches (1,016 centimeters) of snow this winter.

Flooding in the mountain town of Hayden forced schools to close for the day, and the area could see rain Thursday afternoon before turning to snow overnight. Photos posted online by the Colorado Department of Transportation showed Dry Creek overflowing its banks from a bridge there and flooding threatening several parked recreational vehicles.

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning at noon Saturday, warning that some roads may be impassable and urging motorists not to drive across flooded rivers.

However, no major damage had been reported in Utah or Colorado as of Thursday.

State officials are announcing flood plans as rapid snowmelt and possible April showers raise fears of severe flooding in the northern Plains. Residents have assembled thousands—if not hundreds of thousands—of sandbags to fight the floodwaters themselves.

The Red River Valley, which includes Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota, is under threat of flooding as warmer weather melts away snow left behind by one of the snowiest winters on record for both states. Moorhead City Engineer Bob Zimmerman told Minnesota Public Radio that any heavy rain could determine the size of the flooding.

Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz said at a news conference Thursday that the state is ready to move funds “in a very efficient, effective way” to deal with flooding.

Warmer temperatures and rising water levels due to climate change have been a factor in the state’s preparations for the months-long spring flood season, he added.

Local, state and federal public safety and emergency management partners have stepped up monitoring and preparedness, according to the state’s Department of Public Safety.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has declared a statewide spring flood emergency and sent in the National Guard to help fight flooding in the coming weeks, the Bismarck Tribune reported. The city of Bismarck opened sandbag sites for residents.

In northern Montana, the Milk River is expected to swell to its highest level in more than a decade and flood some rural areas.

Rick Seiler, Valley County disaster and emergency services coordinator, said emergency officials along Glasgow’s river were patrolling the levee that protects the city of about 3,200 people to make sure it can survive. Shelters are being arranged in case low-lying areas need to be evacuated.

Flooding is expected to continue into next week, according to the National Weather Service.

Thaler said heavy rain fell across the region Thursday, while snow continued to accumulate at higher elevations. (Associated Press)

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(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)