Thunderstorms formed across northern Utah again on July 13th. One of these storms produced a major flash flood near Tabiona, which resulted in one fatality, while two other deaths occurred due to lightning strikes in the Scofield area and San Rafael Desert.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS SLC wrote it up.
Thunderstorms formed across northern Utah again on July 13th. One of these storms produced a major flash flood near Tabiona, which resulted in one fatality, while two other deaths occurred due to lightning strikes in the Scofield area and San Rafael Desert.
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 Salt Lake City, UT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 11, 2:31 PM MST, 24 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT 331 PM MDT MON JUL 11 2011 .SYNOPSIS...A MOIST AIRMASS WILL REMAIN OVER UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY. A DRIER SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE REGION BY THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. && .DISCUSSION...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS MUCH OF THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA AND PORTIONS OF EASTERN UTAH THIS AFTERNOON. ADDITIONAL ISOLATED ACTIVITY IS NOTED ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE CWA. HEAVY RAINFALL HAS OCCURRED WITH SOME OF THESE STORMS AND A FLASH FLOOD HAS ALREADY BEEN REPORTED AT CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON. SEVERAL INGREDIENTS HAVE COME TOGETHER TO PROVIDE A CONTINUING THREAT OF HEAVY RAINFALL THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING...FOCUSING ON SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL UTAH. A VERY MOIST AIRMASS...WITH PWS ABOVE 1 INCH...REMAINS IN PLACE ACROSS MUCH OF THE STATE. WEAK WIND PROFILES ACROSS THE SOUTHERN/EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE SUPPORT SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS. ADDITIONALLY...SEVERAL WEAK SHORTWAVES ARE CROSSING THE AREA. THIS COMBINATION OF WEAK STORM MOTION...MOISTURE AND LIFT IS PROVIDING THE IMPETUS FOR ISOLATED FLASH FLOODING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN AND EASTERN UTAH. HIGHER SHEAR VALUES AND MODERATE INSTABILITY ARE NOTED ALONG THE IDAHO/UTAH BORDER THIS AFTERNOON. AN ISOLATED CELL OR TWO MAY BE CAPABLE OF BRIEF GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL BUT EXPECT MAINLY WEAK CONVECTION ACROSS MOST OF NORTHERN UTAH. HIGH PRESSURE WILL PUSH FURTHER EAST TUESDAY. THIS WILL HELP TO DECREASE MOISTURE LEVELS ACROSS THE WESTERN THIRD OF UTAH BY EARLY AFTERNOON...AND THE REMAIN OF THE STATE BY TUESDAY NIGHT. A PERIOD OF DRY CONDITIONS IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE WEEKEND ACROSS THE NORTH. 12Z MODELS INDICATED MONSOONAL MOISTURE MAY BEGIN TO SNEAK BACK INTO SOUTHERN UTAH SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. INCREASED POPS A BIT ACROSS THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS AND OTHER AREAS OF EXTREME SOUTHERN UTAH DURING THIS PERIOD TO REFLECT THIS POSSIBLE PATTERN CHANGE. && .AVIATION...PREDOMINANT VFR CONDITIONS WITH SOUTH WINDS EXPECTED TO PERSIST AT KSLC THROUGH THE PERIOD. HOWEVER...OUTFLOW FROM NEARBY THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY MAKE WINDS ERRATIC AT TIMES DURING THE 22-04Z TIMEFRAME. THERE IS A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF A THUNDERSTORM DIRECTLY IMPACTING THE TERMINAL DURING THIS TIME. && .FIRE WEATHER...THE VERY MOIST AIRMASS OVER THE FIRE DISTRICT HAS ALLOWED SCATTERED AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP ONCE AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON...PRIMARILY OVER SOUTHERN UTAH. THIS MOISTURE WILL REMAIN OVER THE STATE THROUGH TOMORROW...THOUGH AFTERNOON CONVECTION WILL PRIMARILY BE CONFINED TO EASTERN UTAH. A DRIER AIRMASS WILL PUSH INTO THE DISTRICT BY WEDNESDAY...USHERING IN A DRIER AND MORE STABLE AIRMASS. HOWEVER...BREEZY SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL DEVELOP DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS...WHICH COULD RESULT IN AREAS OF FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WHERE FUELS ARE DRY. THE DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO THE WEEKEND...THOUGH WINDS SHOULD WEAKEN. && .SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UT...NONE. WY...NONE. && KRUSE/TRAPHAGAN/SEAMAN FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA/S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT... HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY (ALL LOWER CASE) FOR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION VISIT... HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY/GENERAL/AFD_FAQS.PHP (ALL LOWER CASE)
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT 829 AM MDT MON JUL 11 2011 UTZ001>016-019>021-517-518-WYZ021-121300- CACHE VALLEY/UTAH PORTION-NORTHERN WASATCH FRONT- SALT LAKE AND TOOELE VALLEYS-SOUTHERN WASATCH FRONT- GREAT SALT LAKE DESERT AND MOUNTAINS-WASATCH MOUNTAIN VALLEYS- WASATCH MOUNTAINS I-80 NORTH-WASATCH MOUNTAINS SOUTH OF I-80- WESTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS-WASATCH PLATEAU/BOOK CLIFFS- WESTERN UINTA BASIN-CASTLE COUNTRY-SAN RAFAEL SWELL- SANPETE/SEVIER VALLEYS-WEST CENTRAL UTAH-SOUTHWEST UTAH- UTAHS DIXIE AND ZION NATIONAL PARK-SOUTH CENTRAL UTAH- GLEN CANYON RECREATION AREA/LAKE POWELL-CENTRAL MOUNTAINS- SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS-SOUTHWEST WYOMING- 829 AM MDT MON JUL 11 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE WESTERN TWO THIRDS OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE BIGGEST THREAT WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO BE HEAVY RAIN AND LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING. RECREATIONALISTS VENTURING INTO SLOT CANYONS AND DRY WASHES ACROSS SOUTHERN UTAH SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING. AREA RIVERS WILL CONTINUE TO RUN HIGH THROUGH TONIGHT...EVEN THOSE BELOW FLOOD STAGE. EXTREME CAUTION IS URGED NEAR AREA RIVERS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY RIVERS WILL CONTINUE A GRADUAL DOWNWARD TREND IN FLOWS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. HOWEVER...ALL RIVERS ACROSS NORTHERN UTAH WILL CONTINUE TO FLOW FAST AND COLD THROUGH THE WEEK. A GRADUAL DRYING TREND WILL BEGIN TUESDAY WITH SIGNIFICANTLY DRIER AIR SPREADING INTO THE REGION AFTER MIDWEEK. THIS DRIER SOUTHWEST FLOW COULD BRING AN INCREASED THREAT OF HAZARDOUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR THE LATTER PORTION OF THE WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA/S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT... HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY (ALL LOWER CASE)
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
148 PM MDT MON JUL 11 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0140 PM FLASH FLOOD CAPITOL REEF NP 38.28N 111.20W
07/11/2011 WAYNE UT PARK/FOREST SRVC
WATER FLOWING OVER THE CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK SCENIC
DRIVE FROM THE VISITORS CENTER TO THE SLICKROCK DIVIDE
AREA. TIME OF EVENT IS ESTIMATED.
&&
CRKPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
151 PM MDT MON JUL 11 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0140 PM FLASH FLOOD CAPITOL REEF NP 38.28N 111.20W
07/11/2011 WAYNE UT PARK/FOREST SRVC
WATER FLOWING OVER THE CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK SCENIC
DRIVE FROM THE VISITORS CENTER TO THE SLICKROCK DIVIDE
AREA. TIME OF EVENT IS ESTIMATED.
0150 PM FLASH FLOOD CAPITOL REEF NP 38.28N 111.20W
07/11/2011 WAYNE UT PARK/FOREST SRVC
SULPHUR CREEK IS EXPERIENCING A FLASH FLOOD. THE SCENIC
DRIVE HAS BEEN CLOSED.
&&
CRKThe Grand Junction radar (KGJX), 215 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:56 UTC.
2 lightning, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A 56-year-old man was with his family near the Wedge Overlook in the San Rafael Desert when he was struck by lightning. CPR was performed by family members and emergency personnel who responded to the scene, but he was unable to be revived and died at the scene.
A fast-moving thunderstorm moved through the Scofield Scout Camp on the morning of July 13th. Lightning struck two of the scouts as they were trying to return to their campsite; one of them, a 12-year-old male, was killed. The other scout suffered burns, but survived.
The Provo Municipal Airport reported a maximum wind gust of 69 mph.
In an area already experiencing river flooding, heavy rainfall caused flash flooding near Tabiona. The primary road damage was along State Route 35, where a gulch running under the road was heavily backed up for hundreds of yards, and the pressure from the backup eventually washed out the road. The resultant damage was an area 30 feet deep and 40 feet across where the road was entirely missing.
Around 11:45 pm MDT, two vehicles drove directly into the washed out area. The occupants of the first vehicle suffered one fatality and one injury. The occupant of the other vehicle was injured.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning, Emery | 2011-07-11 | 56 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
| Lightning, Carbon | 2011-07-13 | 12 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
| Flash Flood, Duchesne | 2011-07-13 | 15 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Utah in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, July 2011
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: 340620, 337284, 334476, 338327.