Flash Flood — Grand, Utah

2023-08-24 · near Castle Valley, Grand, Utah

Event narrative

A 38-year-old woman was swept away in a flash flood at Grand County's Mary Jane Canyon as a result of heavy rains occurring upstream of the canyon. 30 minute rates looked to exceed 0.40 to 0.60 inches which then flowed downstream, flooding the slot canyon. The subject reported that she had been caught in the flood and carried '150-200 feet' down the canyon. She stated that she heard the flood coming and tried to get to higher ground. She reached a sand bank above the creek with her dog, but the rising water eroded the sand, sending both her and the dog into the flood waters. The woman and her dog were rescued by emergency services later with no injuries reported.

Wider weather episode

Remnants from Tropical Storm Harold lifted across the Desert Southwest. This, combined with already abundant subtropical moisture, resulted in widespread showers and thunderstorms across eastern Utah. Storms were slow moving and produced heavy rain. As a result of the heavy rain, some flash flooding occurred in portions of Grand County.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (38.6797, -109.3508)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1119405. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.