February ends with wild, windy, wet bang

It certainly seemed like March would come in like a lion Tuesday as February ended on a blustery day.

Problems spilled across the Wasatch Front as nearly every kind of weather element made an appearance somewhere in the state, some causing significant damage.

"We had a cold front rush through the Salt Lake area with a lot of unstable air, which caused a lot of fun things to happen," said Monica Traphagan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City. She said pea-sized hail was the largest reported, but precipitation in several areas caused trouble.

Severe flooding was evident in Morgan and Cache counties after rain and higher-than-average temperatures melted the snowpack, bringing a lot of unexpected water to the valleys, surrounding 15 to 20 homes with nearly 3 feet of water, said Jason Lee, spokesman for the Morgan County Sheriff's Office.

"I can't even begin to estimate what manpower we have on this; everyone in the county is helping out," he said. Sandbags and bales of hay lined several streets, helping to keep water from pouring into the basements of several large and fairly new homes.

Lee said no one was forced from their homes, but some may have left voluntarily.

Parts of Clarkston in Cache County were also underwater as rainstorms throughout the day melted the remaining snow cover. Mayor Boyd Pugmire said only a couple of homes were in danger of being flooded and that the community was coming together to pump water out of basements and help with sandbags.

"Birch Creek is flooded over, and that is what's causing most of the problem," he said. "You could paddle yourself in a canoe across the river and into the fields if you wanted."

Pugmire said a temperature drop caused by nighttime snowfall was expected to "ease their pain," at least for the evening.

High temperatures were also blamed for a small mudslide in Emigration Canyon Tuesday morning. The hillside thawed and spread out onto the road near Pinehurst. Road crews spent almost all day removing the dirt and debris.

Normal temperatures for this time of year are around 48 degrees, Traphagan said. Salt Lake City hit 63 Tuesday. Brigham Young University and Logan reported new record-high temperatures on Monday.

"In general, we're getting toward spring and the trends will be warmer weather," Traphagan said.