Flood — Lincoln, Wyoming

2011-05-15 to 2011-05-19 · near Fairview, Lincoln, Wyoming

Event narrative

Rising temperatures quickly melted low elevation snow in the mountains of extreme eastern Idaho. This caused flooding of Spring, Tin Cup, Crow, Jack Knife, and Stump creeks along the western edge of Star Valley. A few homeowners were forced to sandbag around their homes, build temporary levees, or dig trenches to provide relief from the rising flood waters. These tributaries fed the broad and relatively flat valley of the Salt River. Lowlands near the Salt River were inundated with water, especially north of Thayne to around the Double L Ranch near Etna.

Wider weather episode

Low elevation snowpack in the mountains bordering the west side of Star Valley melted rapidly as temperatures climbed into the 60s. The result was flooding along the Salt River and its tributaries.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (42.6497, -111.0429)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 316555. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.