Heavy rain causes flooding in Opal

AFTON (WNE) — Portions of southern Lincoln County flooded Monday due to heavy, sustained rains.

Lincoln County Commissioner Kent Connelly said eastbound Highway 30 was closed near Opal for a period of time due to mudslides, stating that WYDOT was using snowplows to clear the mud. As of 7:20 p.m. WYDOT reported on the Wyoming 511 App that the road was open in both directions.

Connelly also stated that some homes in Opal were flooded. Lincoln County Emergency Management and other volunteers are on scene to coordinate sandbagging efforts.

“It’s been raining here for roughly four hours,” said Commissioner Connelly at roughly 7:00 p.m. “We may have to open a shelter.”

Stephen Malik with Lincoln County Emergency Management provided additional details.

“Storms went through the area between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. causing runoff from higher elevations. Water and mud flowed through parts of the town with the worst of it along Soliday and Coyote Streets, which received roughly six inches of water,” said Malik. “Four to five homes have basement flooding. Emergency Management coordinated with town officials and local volunteers to work on sandbagging and cleanup. Water is subsiding and the situation is stable. We are continuing to monitor the weather situation for the next couple of days as there is a decent possibility of more storms tomorrow in the area.”

Rocky Mountain Power also reported a large power outage Monday afternoon in the Kemmerer area, impacting over 900 customers. While the timing coincides with the storm, it is unclear if the outage was directly caused due to weather conditions. Power has since been restored, according to Rocky Mountain Power.

This story was published on August 12, 2024.