Weekend Storms Cause Flooding In Areas
All day on Saturday and overnight into Sunday, eastern Idahoans saw quite a few weather disturbances across the Snake River Plain region.
One of the biggest concerns after such a storm is the roadways, and on Sunday drivers may have been better off in boats than behind the wheel.
“There’s a number of things that could happen just depending on the depth of the water,” said Bonneville County Sheriff Sgt. Al Thompson.
As storms moved through eastern Idaho over the weekend, streets and gutters filled like pails up with rainwater. The downpours created large puddles and areas of flodding.
“Go through it slow,” said Thompson. “If it looks like it’s fairly deep, take an alternate route.”
Thompson said folks should treat drives through standing water like a journey into the unknown:
“The concern with a lower car is they could flood themselves out and stall and then they’re stuck in the middle of the pond or the flood and become a traffic hazard themselves,” said Thompson.
On 1st and Ammon at the Fallsbrook Mobile Home Estates in Bonneville County, a huge puddle stretches from one side of the neighborhood entrance to another. Drivers our station saw sometimes drove at high speeds through the standing water.
“(At) higher speeds … you’re going to hydroplane a lot faster, you’ll lose control,” said Thompson.
No serious flooding or damage has been reported, but small hail pounded the parking lot outside the station early on Sunday afternoon.
“We saw a lot of precipitation move through the area yesterday and that’s going to continue into today,” said First Alert Meteorologist Liz Cosgrove.
She said storms with lots of moisture mean potential for quick-moving water to turn dangerous.
“The ground has been so parched it doesn’t have the energy to soak it up, so it caused a lot of flooding on the roadways, and it made it really hazardous for drivers, especially yesterday night,” she said.
