Utah, 1996

Flash Flood in Utah, August 24, 1996

August 24, 1996 · NWS SLC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Monsoonal moisture moved into southwest Utah and scattered thunderstorms developed. In Zion National Park a flash flood occurred in the Zion Narrows.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS SLC wrote it up.

Monsoonal moisture moved into southwest Utah and scattered thunderstorms developed. In Zion National Park a flash flood occurred in the Zion Narrows. Park officals reported a "wall of water rushed through the area taking trees in its wake." A river gauge recorded a flow rate of 70 cfs (cubic feet per second) at 1700 mst. At 1730 mst that same gauge read 700 cfs. Fortunately no one was injured.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Washington

When
August 24, 5:10 PM MST to 6:00 PM MST
Where
Washington County, Zion National Park
Coordinates
37.280, -113.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Utah in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, August 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5570136.