Flooding in Utah, December 26 to 28, 1998

Name: Flooding in Utah, December 26 to 28, 1998
Start: 1998-12-26T10:00
End: 1998-12-28T17:00
Location: Utah

December 26 to 28, 1998 · NWS SLC · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

The sudden arctic blast caused a rapid freeze on portions of the Strawberry River near Duchesne. The rapid freeze caused the water to surge over the top of the ice, creating huge slush flows.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $2,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

The sudden arctic blast caused a rapid freeze on portions of the Strawberry River near Duchesne. The rapid freeze caused the water to surge over the top of the ice, creating huge slush flows. This caused a backup and the river flowed out of its banks, threatening a home. The river flowed through their yard, getting within 1 or 2 inches of the house. That was when 100 neighbors came to their rescue, bringing a backhoe, a tractor and plenty of sandbags. The house was saved, and the river diverted.

Event by event

3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Western Unita Mountains

When: December 26, 10:00 AM MST to December 28, 5:00 PM MST
Where: Western Unita Mountains forecast zone
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA

Flood, Western Unita Basin

When: December 26, 10:00 AM MST to December 28, 5:00 PM MST
Where: Western Unita Basin forecast zone
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA

Flood, Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs

When: December 26, 10:00 AM MST to December 28, 5:00 PM MST
Where: Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs forecast zone
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA

What these are

Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Utah in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Utah, December 1998

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: 5676270, 5676271, 5676272.