Debris Flow — Southern Mountains, Utah

2011-10-08 · Southern Mountains, Utah

Event narrative

A landslide occurred 8 miles east of Cedar City, along Utah State Route 14. The landslide occurred sometime before 5 a.m. on the morning of October 8th, when the slide was discovered and the road was closed by the Utah Department of Transportation. The landslide was 1,700 feet in length, and destroyed an 800 foot section of State Route 14. The dirt on the road was as much as 100 feet deep in some places, and it was estimated that the slide consisted of 1.5 million cubic yards of dirt, rock, and debris. This led to the closing of a 12-mile stretch of State Route 14, which is a widely used road in southern Utah, particularly for tourists trying to get to Cedar Breaks National Monument and Bryce Canyon National Park. Early estimates from the Utah Department of Transportation indicated that the cost to repair the damaged section of State Route 14 would be around $12 million.

Wider weather episode

Following the storm system that brought heavy precipitation to Utah, a massive landslide occurred on the morning of Saturday, October 8th. This landslide caused significant damage along State Route 14 in southern Utah.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 351972. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.