Severe weather has returned to southern Utah, bringing with it intense storms that have led to significant flash flood warnings and damage to trails across the area.
Zion National Park faced a potential flash flood threat on Wednesday, indicated by a code-yellow alert in the park’s warning system, as rain was expected.
“If there’s any chance of rain, we do not recommend you go into any canyons,” said Daniel Fagergren, Chief Park Ranger at Zion.
The park plans to shut down specific trails, including the Narrows, if the risk of flash floods escalates significantly. However, on days when rain is expected, Fagergren noted that it’s the responsibility of visitors to make their own judgement.
“That’s a decision visitors need to make. It goes back to weighing their own risks, mitigating that risk, and making a smart decision before they commit,” Fagergren said.
Fagergren noted that flash flooding can happen even under clear skies, influenced by rainfall in other parts of the park or surrounding regions.
“You could be completely dry down here but have a system up there that impacts the canyon,” he said. “We’ve had that happen before, and we’ve had fatalities as a result.”
On Monday afternoon in Washington City, over an inch of rain poured down quickly, leading to flooding on Hell Hole Trail and eroding parts of the paved path. Teams have now secured the location as they prepare for repairs.
“We got over an inch of rain very rapidly,” said Paul Walker, the city’s assistant director of leisure. “We have a stream of persistent water that goes through this canyon, and it overflowed and undermined some of the asphalt.”
Damage has been reported to the Virgin River Trails and the Cottonwood, leading to their closure.
Walker mentioned that routine clean-up following storms is accounted for in the city’s budget, but extensive repairs are not included.
“If we have to repave, that’s a special project,” he said. “We don’t have money in our budget for that consistently.”
Severe weather events can significantly affect local enterprises, particularly in Springdale, located near Zion National Park.
The flash flood warning system at Zion National Park is refreshed each day and made available both online and at the park’s entrance. Alert levels vary from “not expected” to “expected,” and officials indicate that when the risk escalates, trails such as the Narrows could be closed with little notice.
In the event that hikers find themselves in a flooding situation, Fagergren emphasised that the top priority is to move to higher ground and avoid attempting to outrun or cross flowing water.
