Laramie River Slowly Rising – Flooding Inevitable [PHOTOS]

Flooding on the Laramie river this year is a sure bet and it seems to be the talk of the town right now. With snow levels in the Snowy Range this year reaching up to 193% of normal, chances are that flooding will reach local Laramie residents that have never had to worry about the effects of run-off in the past. Take a look at the SNOTEL stations to get an idea of just how much snow has accumulated in the mountains. It is obvious that the river is slowly starting to rise, but the 10 day forecast is predicting the weather to warm up relatively quickly into the 60's which will obviously result in tremendous snow-melt ina short period of time. In the galley above you can see that the City of Laramie has already put up blockades on the walking path leading up to the Snowy Range Road bridge as it is already under a significant amount of water. As I walked down the Greenbelt to take the pictures in this story it was obvious that the ground was totally saturated, which will only add to flooding problems. One of the pictures taken of the picnic tables and benches along the river demonstrate where water levels reached last year as you could just see the tops of the tables; while snow-pack levels last year were above normal, they were far less above average than this years accumulations. Late last month the City of Laramie outlined their initial response to help residents deal with the unusually high levels of sow pack in response to concerns expressed on LaramieLive.com. There will be a city meeting tonight at fire station #3 at 6:30 PM tonight where residents can get information on additional preparations; you can find more information on the City of Laramie's website. The question is, is it enough to deal with the impending disaster? Only time will tell.

Flooding isn't the only issue being caused by this year's high snow pack levels. Usually WYDOT has Snowy Range Road (WYO 130) open by memorial day, but the tremendous amount of snow could delay the opening this year. Many structures along the road are totally buried with only their chimneys sticking out of the snow. It's actually a rather amazing sight if you happen to have been up in the Snowies this winter. KGAB out of Cheyenne who talked to WYDOT reported:

A snowmobile trip up the roadway by WYDOT officials on April 27 revealed six feet of snow on Libby Flats which is an area that is historically swept clear by the wind. The outhouse by Lake Marie is buried to the roof pipes. Another location on WYO 130 is blocked by a 40 yard drift rising 25 feet above the roadway.

 

On the Saratoga side, WYO 130 is blocked with snow five miles lower than experienced in years past.

“We’re gearing up and we’ll give it all the resources we can afford to get it open by the traditional Memorial Day weekend,” said WYDOT District 1 engineer, Jay Gould.