Connect with us

Utah

Fire Officials: Snowpack will delay large fires but also help grasses grow

Published

on

Fire Officials: Snowpack will delay large fires but also help grasses grow


DRAPER, Utah — State and federal fire officials said there are two sides to Utah’s record-breaking snow when it comes to the upcoming fire season.

“Usually we’ve seen a lot more fire activity earlier in the spring as we were going through the drought,” said Karl Hunt with Utah Forestry, Fire and State Lands.

The mountains full of snow will delay the start of large wildfires, Hunt explained. On the flip side, all the moisture this spring in northern Utah will help fire-fueling grasses grow taller.

“Right now we’re in the green-up stage,” Hunt said. “So we look around and we see all this green on the hillsides—that’s eventually going to cure out. And when those cure, that’s when that fire danger and that fire potential really increases.”

Advertisement

He also warns that grasses could flourish along roadways, making it extra important prevent human-caused fires by keeping vehicles well-maintained, making sure trailer chains aren’t sparking on the pavement and not parking on dry grass.

Lead meteorologist Basil Newmerzhycky with Great Basin Predictive Services said Utah’s snowpack will provide weeks of fire protection in the mid to high elevations.

“Because all that snow has to melt,” he explained, “and once it does so, that exposed ground has to then dry out for an additional six to nine weeks before you can even think about getting a large fire.”

While the grasses are already drying out in southern Utah, Newmerzhycky said the moisture should still delay large fires.

Advertisement

Newmerzhycky said the best case scenario would be for the snow to delay the fire season long enough to coincide with the arrival of the monsoon in July.

“Sometimes when things time right we can actually avoid a significant fire season by having that delay and then that monsoon arriving,” he said.

However, Newmerzhycky said some climate outlooks suggest a delayed start of Utah’s summer storms which could make for a hot and dry July in the central and southern portions of the state.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Utah

Storm Blair: Watch moment avalanche barrels down Utah mountain

Published

on

Storm Blair: Watch moment avalanche barrels down Utah mountain


Heavy snowfall in Utah caused an avalanche that was captured on camera from a nearby vehicle in Little Cottonwood Canyon.

Local media reported that up to five inches (12.7cm) of snow fell in the area, causing the avalanche and stranding skiers for a while.

Seven US states have declared a state of emergency as Storm Blair sweeps through.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Utah

Atlanta plays Utah, aims to stop road losing streak

Published

on

Atlanta plays Utah, aims to stop road losing streak


Associated Press

Atlanta Hawks (18-18, seventh in the Eastern Conference) vs. Utah Jazz (9-25, 14th in the Western Conference)

Salt Lake City; Tuesday, 9 p.m. EST

Advertisement

BOTTOM LINE: Atlanta will aim to break its three-game road skid when the Hawks face Utah.

The Jazz have gone 2-12 at home. Utah allows the most points in the Western Conference, giving up 118.4 points and is allowing opponents to shoot 47.8%.

The Hawks are 8-11 on the road. Atlanta is eighth in the league with 12.1 offensive rebounds per game led by Clint Capela averaging 3.3.

The Jazz are shooting 46.1% from the field this season, 1.5 percentage points lower than the 47.6% the Hawks allow to opponents. The Hawks average 117.1 points per game, 1.3 fewer than the 118.4 the Jazz allow.

TOP PERFORMERS: John Collins is averaging 17.9 points and 8.3 rebounds for the Jazz.

Advertisement

Jalen Johnson is averaging 19.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals for the Hawks.

LAST 10 GAMES: Jazz: 4-6, averaging 114.7 points, 47.6 rebounds, 25.3 assists, 7.2 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 46.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.0 points per game.

Hawks: 4-6, averaging 118.1 points, 43.3 rebounds, 29.3 assists, 11.2 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 121.4 points.

INJURIES: Jazz: Keyonte George: out (heel), John Collins: out (personal), Jordan Clarkson: day to day (plantar ), Taylor Hendricks: out for season (fibula), Lauri Markkanen: out (back).

Hawks: Kobe Bufkin: out for season (shoulder), Larry Nance Jr.: out (hand), Bogdan Bogdanovic: day to day (leg), Jalen Johnson: out (shoulder), Cody Zeller: day to day (personal).

Advertisement

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.




Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Utah

Missing woman found dead in Utah; police looking for her 'violent' ex-boyfriend – East Idaho News

Published

on

Missing woman found dead in Utah; police looking for her 'violent' ex-boyfriend – East Idaho News


SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (KSL.com) — Unified police on Saturday located the body of a missing woman in a remote location in Tooele County. The woman was murdered, police say, and now they are looking for her “violent ex-boyfriend” in connection with her death.

On Thursday, the family of Talia Benward reported to Unified police that she was missing.

“As the investigation developed and evidence was gathered, it became evident Talia Benward was either being held against her will by a violent ex-boyfriend or was deceased,” Unified police said in a statement Sunday.

Beginning in the early morning hours on Saturday, police searched a remote area of Tooele County where they thought she could be. The large area is “covered with tall brush and cedar trees” and was being conducted in “nearly total darkness and frigid snowy conditions.”

Advertisement

Benward’s body was located at 5:20 a.m. Saturday with the assistance of the Salt Lake City and Weber County K-9 teams, police said.

“Preliminarily, it appears the victim may have suffered from blunt force trauma and trauma to her neck area,” the statement says.

The Unified Police Department is treating Benward’s death as a homicide and is asking for the public’s help in locating Nestor Rocha-Aguayo, 24, of West Valley City, who they say is a person of interest. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 801-840-4000.

“We do believe he is still in Salt Lake County and are asking individuals to not confront him but to call police,” the statement says.

=htmlentities(get_the_title())?>%0D%0A%0D%0A=get_permalink()?>%0D%0A%0D%0A=htmlentities(‘For more stories like this one, be sure to visit https://www.eastidahonews.com/ for all of the latest news, community events and more.’)?>&subject=Check%20out%20this%20story%20from%20EastIdahoNews” class=”fa-stack jDialog”>

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending