Flash Flood — Washington, Utah

2014-09-27 · near Zion National Park, Washington, Utah

Event narrative

Flooding was again widespread across Washington County, with floods reported in Enterprise, Ivins, Santa Clara, St. George, and Springdale, among others. Most rivers and washes in the area experienced flooding, with particularly high flows in the Beaver Dam Wash and the Virgin River. Rock and mud slides were common across the area, temporarily closing several highways across the county. Flooding also occurred across much of Zion National Park, with the park closing for a period of time due to flooding and debris on roadways. This flooding included in the popular Narrows section of the park, where two hikers were stranded by the flood waters; one of the hikers escaped to safety, but the other, a 34-year-old male, died in the flood.

In Enterprise, many roadways flooded, and a few businesses were damaged by flood waters. In Ivins, a few homes near 600 S and 400 W experienced flooding. In St. George, damage was most severe at the Southgate Golf Course, with the majority of holes inundated with water.

Wider weather episode

After moisture from Tropical Storm Norbert impacted Utah earlier in the month, more moisture associated with Tropical Storm Odile moved into Utah on September 26 and 27, causing widespread flooding in central and southern Utah, as well as strong gusty thunderstorms in northern Utah.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.5402, -112.8598)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 544470. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.