Flash Flood — Washington, Utah

2015-09-14 · near Zion Lodge, Washington, Utah

Event narrative

Multiple rounds of heavy rainfall brought flash flooding to Zion National Park, including along North Creek, but the most notable flood occurred in Keyhole Canyon. A group of seven people entered Keyhole Canyon in the early afternoon, planning to travel through the small but popular canyoneering route. Flooding in Keyhole Canyon occurred quickly; no one in the group was able to escape the canyon or get to higher ground, and the flood killed all seven individuals. The seven victims were between 51 and 59 years old.

Wider weather episode

Multiple strong thunderstorms producing heavy rainfall moved through southwest Utah on September 14, creating significant flash flooding in Hildale, Utah and Zion National Park. These two flash flood events combined to produce the deadliest natural disaster in Utah history, with 20 fatalities in the state of Utah, and a 21st just south of the border in Arizona.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.2315, -112.8708)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 603178. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.