Flash Flood — Emery, Utah

2014-08-04 · near Huntington Arpt, Emery, Utah

Event narrative

A large debris flow occurred in Huntington Canyon and flowed onto State Route 31 after heavy rain fell on the Seeley burn scar. Many boulders and trees flowed onto the roadway, with some trees as large as 40 feet in length and 4 feet in diameter.

The area with the heaviest impact was the North Hughes drainage, with significant flooding and debris also occurring in Cabin Canyon and the Old Folks Flat area. It took the Utah Department of Transportation about 24 hours to reopen the roadway to traffic.

Wider weather episode

Thunderstorms with heavy rain developed across Utah in the first week of August, leading to multiple flash floods across the state. Some flood waters produced significant damage, especially in the city of Helper.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (39.4000, -110.9600)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 541388. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.