Call it a wild spring or, perhaps, business as usual for the transitionary period between winter and summer.

On the bright side, a breach of the Ogden or Weber rivers or some other such flooding event doesn’t seem imminent in the city. On the other hand, city officials have sent out signals they’re on guard in light of the record snowpack in the mountains to the east, waiting for warm weather to melt and flow west toward the Great Salt Lake.

“We’re ready to move forward if we need to,” Mark Johnson, chief administrative officer for the City of Ogden, said Monday, the first official day of spring. Sand and 10,000 sandbags are at the ready, he said, if needed.

The possibility of rain and snow is in the forecast through Friday, according to the National Weather Service, with the temperatures maxing out in the 47-degree range. More threatening, though, would be if temperatures spiked to the 90-degree range and stayed put, resulting in quick, heavy melt-off in higher elevations and flooding potential, Johnson said.

Tim Vandenack, Standard-Examiner

Even so, the Ogden Police and Fire departments recently issue a reminder via social media about the dangers of moving water in area waterways, augmented with increased flow brought on by snowmelt.

When flowing at a rate of 7 miles per hour, a steady jog, the average person can be knocked off their feet in just 9 to 10 inches of water, the post said. A river flowing at a rate of 4 miles per hour will knock the average person down in 3 feet of water “and wash them downstream.”

Drownings on area rivers are sporadic occurrences in the spring. An 8-year-old boy drowned in the Ogden River on May 9, 2017, after he was swept by swiftly moving water while chasing his service dog. Snowfall and melt-off in 2017 was relatively heavy.

“Please be aware of the river and take caution when traveling around it as it will be very cold and moving fast,” said the Ogden police and fire statement. “During this season, it is wise to wear a life vest if you need to be near the river for any reason.”

In another social media post, Vincent Ramos, public services operations manager for Ogden, warned of “potential flooding in the near future.” If residents notice leaves or other debris blocking drainage grates, he asked them to remove the material.

Officials in several other Weber County locales, notably in the western part of the county where the elevation is lower, have put the word out that sandbags are available in the event of flooding.

Last Friday, Jordan Clayton, a data collection officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, said that snowpack last Friday reached a record level in the state for the date.

“Wowza!” he said in a statement.