Sandy residents finally get a break Saturday, Aug. 15, after a week of monsoon storms that overwhelmed the city's stormwater system and flooded neighborhoods from 1300 East to I-15.

A high-pressure system that had been funneling monsoon moisture into Utah is moving away from the region, bringing drier conditions across the Wasatch Front, the Deseret News reported Saturday. KSL meteorologist Kevin Eubank said storms on Saturday and Sunday will be more scattered and mostly confined to higher elevations.

"We are quieting down. We are warming back up, as temperatures start their return back to normal," Eubank said.

The National Weather Service forecast calls for highs in the mid-80s Saturday along the Wasatch Front, approaching 90 degrees Sunday under mostly sunny skies, according to KUTV. The dry pattern is expected to continue into early next week, with highs in the low-to-mid 90s. Isolated afternoon thunderstorms remain possible over the mountains.

What hit Sandy

Thursday, Aug. 13, brought what Mayor Monica Zoltanski called a 50-to-100-year storm. Some areas of the city received between 1.75 and 3 inches of rain in roughly an hour, she told KSL on Friday, Aug. 14. The storm forced the closure of nearly two miles of 1300 East, from 9400 South to 10600 South, for several hours. Flood water covered two lanes of northbound I-15 near 9800 South.

On Hawkwood Drive, resident Clair Rosenberg had to rip out carpet and 2 feet of drywall after a wave from passing cars shattered a window and sent several inches of water into his basement.

"There was just so much water, the storm drain capacity could not absorb it all," Zoltanski said in a KUTV interview on Aug. 14, adding that "pretty much every neighborhood" showed debris and water marks above park strips.

The mayor said the city's stormwater infrastructure, including curb, gutter, storm drains and detention areas, is designed for typical storms, but Thursday's event was an outlier that overwhelmed the system.

Cleanup and safety warnings

Sandy City is offering free landfill vouchers to residents who need to dispose of flood-damaged items. Vouchers are available at the mayor's office for one free load.

City leaders have warned residents to stay out of retention basins, where storm drains are still running fast with contaminated water. Multiple flood victims have reported their insurance companies told them the damage would not be covered.

Additional cleanup resources are posted at sandy.utah.gov.