Flash Flood in Utah, July 10, 2001

Name: Flash Flood in Utah, July 10, 2001
Start: 2001-07-10T19:32
End: 2001-07-10T20:00
Location: Utah

July 10, 2001 · NWS GJT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Thunderstorms in the Moab area produced heavy rain resulting in flash flooding. Highway 128 near the north end of Moab was closed due to extensive debris and water running across the road.

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
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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 GJT wrote it up.

Thunderstorms in the Moab area produced heavy rain resulting in flash flooding. Highway 128 near the north end of Moab was closed due to extensive debris and water running across the road. Other areas in Moab, including the southern part of Moab, were sandbagged to protect against the flood waters.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Grand Junction, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 10, 1:00 PM MST, 6 hours 32 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 10, 1:00 PM MST, 6 hours 32 minutes before

WESTERN COLORADO & EASTERN UTAH AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
200 PM MDT TUE JUL 10 2001

MOIST TAP STILL IN PLACE WITH SHORT WAVE VISIBLE ON WATER VAPOR TO
AID IN AFTERNOON...EVENING ACTIVITY.  50+DEW POINTS AND OVER ONE INCH
PW COMBINE WITH ACTIVITY THE PAST FEW DAYS TO BRING SCT/NMRS
TSRA. STORMS WILL MOVE ABOUT 15 KTS. THE FOUR CORNERS AREA IS NOW IN
EXCESSS RAINFALL. COULD ALSO SEE ISOLATED HAIL POTENTIAL TO AN INCH
THIS AFTERNOON. SLIGHT BREAK IN MOISTURE POSSIBLE FOR THURSDAY BUT
NOT ENOUGH TO REMOVE COMPLETELY. CLOUDS TO HELP KEEP HIGH TEMPS NEAR
NORMAL OR SLIGHTLY BELOW NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.  DJC

IN THE EXTENDED...MOISTURE PLUME THAT WILL BE OVER THE CWFA INTO
THURSDAY WILL BE SHUNTED WEST OF THE REGION FRIDAY/SATURDAY AS UPPER
RIDGE RETROGRADES TO THE FOUR CORNERS. LOOKS AS THOUGH MONSOONAL
MOISTURE WILL BE TRAPPED UNDER THE RIDGE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...SO
HAVE ADDED LOW POPS TO SOME VALLEY ZONES AND BUMPED MOUNTAIN POPS.
ATMOSPHERE WILL DRY TOWARD LATTER HALF OF THE WEEKEND AS RIDGE
BECOMES FIRMLY ENTRENCHED OVER FOUR CORNERS. AFTER SLIGHT COOL
DOWN...TEMPERATURES WILL RETURN TO NORMAL FOR THE WEEKEND.  CNJ

.GJT...NONE.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 10, 5:22 PM MST, 2 hours 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION, CO
622 PM MDT TUE JUL 10 2001

TIME(MDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0516 PM    5SW GRAND JUNCTION        CO   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/10/01   MESA                           REPORTED BY NWS TRAINED
                                          SPOTTER

0525 PM    6SW GRAND JUNCTION        CO   .75 INCH HAIL
07/10/01   MESA                           REPORTED BY NWS TRAINED
                                          SPOTTER

0525 PM    5S GRAND JUNCTION         CO   .88 INCH HAIL
07/10/01   MESA                           REPORTED BY NWS TRAINED
     X                                     SPOTTER

DJN

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Grand

When: July 10, 7:32 PM MST to 8:00 PM MST
Where: Grand County, Moab
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.982, -109.570 (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

Every storm in Utah in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Utah, July 2001

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: 5257653.