Collbran – Snowpack on the Grand Mesa that is 170 percent of normal has emergency managers concerned that warm weather forecast for this week could melt the snow too quickly and cause flooding.
“All the conditions seem to be pointing to the fact that we’re going to experience some flooding,” Mesa County Emergency Management director Kimberly Bullen said Thursday.
The snowpack is reminiscent of 1983, when Mesa County experienced one of its worst flood years.
Temperatures have been mild so far, allowing the snowpack to melt slowly. But temperatures Sunday are expected to reach 80 degrees for the first time this year.
Officials are watching Plateau Creek, which runs through Collbran north of the mesa and drains into the Colorado River, and Kannah and Whitewater creeks, which drain the south side of the mesa into the Gunnison River.
Administrators with Grand Junction and Mesa County built a series of levies after the floods of 1983 and 1984.
