Flash Flood — Iron, Utah

2017-08-06 · near Parowan Arpt, Iron, Utah

Event narrative

Multiple rounds of heavy rain over the Brianhead Fire burn scar produced both flash flooding and debris flows. This debris and water first inundated State Route 143, ultimately closing portions of the roadway for multiple days. A second round of rain in the early evening hours flowed into Parowan Creek and ran into the town of Parowan, with water 6-8 feet above normal stage during the event. This later flooding damaged four homes in Parowan, primarily basements. In addition, flood damage occurred along Old United States Highway 91, as well as northbound lanes of Interstate 15 between milepost 73 and Parowan. The debris field along Interstate 15 was approximately an eighth of a mile long, and forced the closure of the roadway for several hours.

Wider weather episode

A moist airmass across Utah in the first week of August led to scattered thunderstorms producing heavy rain. These storms produced several flash floods, primarily across the southern half of Utah.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.8000, -112.7800)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 720708. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.