Utah is in a state of emergency as melting snow is likely to cause months of flooding

By Ayana Archie

Published April 19, 2023 at 3:47 AM CDT

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Local officials issued evacuation orders for at least 20 homes as temperatures spiked and snowmelt coursed through the streets on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in Kaysville, Utah. A record-breaking snow season has raised fears of spring flooding throughout Utah as the weather in mountain regions warms.

A state of emergency was issued in Utah on Tuesday after record levels of snow have started to melt, causing flooding, Gov. Spencer Cox said.

The melting could continue for months and cause events, such as avalanches, landslides, mudslides and rockslides, the memo said.

Under a state of emergency, Utah will tap into funds from its disaster recovery account and be able to request additional funding from federal and other states' agencies.

The Division of Emergency Management has already deployed more than 1 million sandbags throughout the state to prepare for the flooding.

This past winter, snowpack levels in Utah were at or above 200% in some areas, the memo said.