Heavy Rain, Utah
- When
- July 27, 3:00 PM MST to 5:00 PM MST
- Where
- Utah County, Countywide
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Crop damage
- $4,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 40.120, -111.670 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in Utah, July 27, 1998
Flash flooding killed 2 California hikers in the Narrows of Zion National Park. Flash flooding occurred again on the Canal Canyon Creek just south of Spring City causing even more damage.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
- 2
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $120,000
- Crop damage
- $204,000
- 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.
Flash flooding killed 2 California hikers in the Narrows of Zion National Park. Flash flooding occurred again on the Canal Canyon Creek just south of Spring City causing even more damage. Heavy rains in Utah county caused minor basement flooding in Pleasant Grove and mudslides in Spanish Fork Canyon.
The radar
The Salt Lake City radar (KMTX), 143 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:01 UTC.
Event by event
2 flash flood, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Flash Flood, Sanpete
- When
- July 27, 4:00 PM MST to 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Sanpete County, 5 mi S of Spring City
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Crop damage
- $200,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 39.374, -111.576 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Washington
- When
- July 27, 4:00 PM MST to 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Washington County, Zion National Park
- Deaths
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Crop damage
- $200
- Reported by
- PARK/FOREST SERVICE
- Coordinates
- 37.280, -113.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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, Washington | 1998-07-27 | 27 | Male | In Water | Direct |
| Flash Flood, Washington | 1998-07-27 | 31 | Male | In Water | Direct |
What these are
- Heavy Rain
- Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
- 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
- Heat in Oklahoma, July 27, 1998
- Lightning Strike in South Carolina, July 27, 1998
- Heat in Texas, July 27, 1998
- Wildfire in Washington, July 27 to 28, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Georgia, July 27, 1998
- Flood in Florida, July 27, 1998
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Tennessee, July 27 to 28, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Missouri, July 27, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Florida, July 27, 1998
- Damaging Wind in South Carolina, July 27, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, July 27, 1998
- Lightning Strikes in South Carolina, July 27, 1998
More
Every storm in Utah in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, July 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: 5663831, 5663829, 5663830.