STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
Blaine County is under a flood watch and advisory, and Galena Summit will be closed at least between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. tonight because of snow slides.
The Idaho Transportation Department closed Galena Summit Wednesday night because of snow slide issues. It will close it again tonight—Thursday, Feb. 9—as a precaution so no one gets trapped by a slide when few motorists are on the road.
There’s been a lot of snow moving on the summit slopes, said Brad Lynch, ITD’s foreman between Timmerman Hill and Clayton. One big slide occurred Wednesday morning near the Alexander Ross interpretative sign but ITD was able to clean it up quickly with a blower.
A blower will be stationed in the area so they can clean up other slides this morning if need be.
Highway 21 between Grandjean and Elk Meadows Creek Road was closed following a large avalanche 40 feet deep and several hundred feet long in an area known as Avalanche Alley.
All BCRD Nordic trails are closed, as well, with the exception of few around Galena Lodge due to extreme avalanche conditions.
Lynch said ITD employees are also watching for flooding at the site of bridges along Highway 75 today with warming temperatures and rain predicted even in higher elevations.
Snowmelt alongside the highway could cause flooding since it has nowhere to go, as could the melting of ice that has built up in the Big Wood River.
Lynch said workers are worried that all the high water expected to come down river could take out some of the work workers did last summer and fall on the bridge under construction just south of Ketchum. Workers were busy on Wednesday trying to remove some of the snow that has built up on the east side of the orange barrels to mitigate some of the flooding.
Work was scheduled to resume on the project in March but may have to be delayed, thanks to this year's heavy snows, Lynch said.
The National Weather Service in Pocatello issued a flood watch for the Big and Little Wood River region, including the cities of Bellevue, Hailey and Ketchum on Wednesday afternoon. The watch will be in effect through noon Sunday, Feb. 12, as flooding could occur well after rainfall has ended.
A watch means flooding is possible, especially for those living in low lying areas.
A flood advisory has been issued for southeastern Blaine County through Thursday evening when rain is predicted to fall on snow packs, accelerating the rate of snow melt and runoff. An advisory is issued when flooding is not expected to be bad enough to issue a warning but could cause significant inconvenience, such as forcing people to use alternative routes.
The watch gives people a chance to prepare, should they be trapped in their house or lose power. People should clear snow from above their doorways to prevent snow slides from blocking their exits. And they should clear away snow in places where melting water could get in crawl spaces.
Officials advise that it’s never safe to drive or walk through flood waters: “Turn around. Don’t drown!”
Between 20 and 30 inches of snow is expected to fall above 8,000 feet through early Friday morning. Snow accumulation at lower elevations will depend on changing temperatures. Avalanche danger is high in all the mountain ranges surrounding Sun Valley and Stanley.
Rain at lower elevations is expected to turn to a mix of rain and snow Friday morning, turning into a chance of snow after 11 a.m. Less than a half inch is predicted after that time.
Members of the public are encouraged to sign up to receive weather and other emergency alerts and notifications by signing up for the Blaine County Community Alert System at www.blainecounty.org. The Emergency Alert System link is at the bottom of the page.
To report a flooded road, contact Blaine County Dispatch at 208-578-3831. To report an immediate emergency, dial 911.