SALT LAKE CITY – Spring storms that have been pounding the West hit northern Utah over the weekend, causing minor flooding and a rock slide, with more storms forecast this week here and in neighboring Colorado.
The storm dumped up to 2 inches of rain in some areas and several inches of mountain snow in Utah, flooding several homes, triggering an avalanche warning and forcing the closure of a canyon road after a boulder the size of a car blocked the road.
The storm is heading for Colorado next, with up to 2 feet of snow expected in the eastern mountains and heavy rain starting Monday evening.
Pacific storm systems are driving the unusually cold and damp weather, National Weather Service meteorologist Mark Struthwolf said. A weather ridge that protected the West from storms all winter dissipated, opening the door for these latest patterns of disruptive weather, he said.
“We’re just getting one storm after another,” said Struthwolf, who is based in Salt Lake City.
During the weekend, the storm brought a surprise dousing of snow to the Utah mountains – including a high of 16 inches at 9,700-foot Ben Lomond Peak near the Idaho border and 7 inches at Brighton Ski Resort further south near Salt Lake City.
