A flash flood emergency is in effect in the Lingle area, after a canal breach west of town.
Residents of Lingle were told to evacuate to higher ground on Friday morning, as water from the levee failure reached further into town. Anyone in town south of the railroad tracks and Lucerne Ditch were at risk, according to a post from the Torrington Police Department.
About six miles of U.S. Highway 26 was also closed Friday, between Lingle and Ft. Laramie, as crews reported about half a mile of highway completely covered by water. Traffic has been diverted to Wyoming Highway 157 for the time being.
According to the Wyoming Department of Transportation, that detour will likely be in place until late Saturday morning.
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“This will allow for not only the water to recede but for our crews to determine if there has been any damage done to the highway,” WYDOT District Two’s statement said.
The National Weather Service Cheyenne office issued its warning Friday morning, and expect it to last until 4 p.m. A Whalen Dam operator told the office that “flow through the breach would begin to recede” after 2 p.m.
