Spring snowmelt causes flooding and evacuations in Southwest and Rockies.
Rapid spring snowmelt after an unusually wet winter is causing flooding from the Southwest to the Rockies, leading to evacuations and emergency declarations. In New Mexico, emergency crews rescued people from high water, and a flood warning was in effect for communities along the Jemez River. In Salt Lake City, the mayor signed an emergency order aimed at helping residents whose homes were threatened by flooding. Heavy snowpack and highs expected to reach 60 degrees were causing flooding in northwest Colorado, and in the Northern Plains, a speedy snowmelt and possible April showers stoked fears of heavy flooding.