Bear River basin flood potential high

Flooding potential is high along the Bear River system below Bear Lake. Northern Utah and southeast Idaho water managers say the danger of flooding is especially high in an area between Wardboro and Bern in Bear Lake County, Idaho. They said the area between Grace and Cleveland in Caribou and Franklin Counties was also of concern. “Based on runoff forecasts, we believe there will be localized flooding of the Bear River into its historic flood plain,” said Connely Baldwin, Rocky Mountain Power hydrologist. “There are many variable factors that could influence the extent of flooding, including how rapidly snow melts and the possibility of a local heavy rain storm.” Baldwin said flood conditions could exceed those of the 1983-84 or 2011 flooding seasons because snowpack levels exceed those high-flow years.