Excessive Heat — Lower Washington County, Utah

2024-07-13 · Lower Washington County, Utah

Event narrative

At approximately 2:30 pm MST, park rangers and search and rescue units from local law enforcement found and began treating two hikers in Snow Canyon State Park who were suffering from heat exhaustion. While treating the injured hikers, the units were notified by a passerby of an unconscious woman nearby. First responders subsequently located the unconscious woman, ultimately determining her to be deceased. Temperatures around the park at the time ranged from 107F at a CWOP site in Ivins to 99F at a higher elevation site near Yellow Knoll. The St George Regional Airport AWOS was reporting temperatures of around 104F at the time. Excessive Heat Warnings were in effect for several days leading up to and during the event, and Snow Canyon State Park had been running a Drink Up campaign with signs at trailheads urging recreators to stay hydrated and limit outdoor activity during the hottest times of day.

Wider weather episode

A very strong mid level ridge slowly moved through the region, resulting in multiple days of excessive heat. At least one instance of injury and fatality were reported from the heat. The strong ridge eventually shifted far enough east and south of the area to allow sufficient moisture to return, resulting in the development of diurnal convection, with some thunderstorms yielding strong wind gusts.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1182539. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.