Flash Flood, San Juan
- When
- September 14, 1:50 PM MST to 2:30 PM MST
- Where
- San Juan County, White Canyon
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 37.626, -109.805 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in Utah, September 14, 1996
Heavy downpours continued across southern Utah. A flash flood developed in the "Black Hole" portion of White Canyon, about 10 miles northwest of Natural Bridges National Monument.
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.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- 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.
Heavy downpours continued across southern Utah. A flash flood developed in the "Black Hole" portion of White Canyon, about 10 miles northwest of Natural Bridges National Monument. The flood waters claimed the life of a 16 year old girl. Six other members of the hiking group were trapped on a ledge until the waters receded some 8 hours later.
The radar
The Grand Junction radar (KGJX), 212 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:47 UTC.
Event by event
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood, San Juan | 1996-09-14 | 16 | Female | In Water | Direct |
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
- Frost and Freeze in Iowa, September 14, 1996
- Tornado in Texas, September 14, 1996
- Flood in Kansas, September 14 to 18, 1996
- Flash Flood in Texas, September 14, 1996
- Flash Flood in New York, September 14, 1996
- Flash Flood in Wyoming, September 14, 1996
- Flash Flood in Texas, September 14 to 15, 1996
- Flash Flood in Texas, September 14 to 15, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Texas, September 14, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Texas, September 14, 1996
- Flash Flood in Texas, September 14, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Colorado, September 14, 1996
More
Every storm in Utah in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, September 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: 5570141.