Rainstorms threaten to flood Utah’s national parks, meteorologists warn
Jun 15, 2023, 7:00 PM | Updated: Jun 16, 2023, 11:45 am
Eric Balken, executive director of Glen Canyon Institute, takes in Cathedral in the Desert, an amphitheater inside Clear Creek Canyon off the Escalante River portion of Lake Powell, while on a media tour on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022. Rainstorms threaten to flood several of Utah's national parks Thursday. Meteorologists recommend anyone who is hiking be prepared. (Spenser Heaps/Deseret News)
(Spenser Heaps/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — Rainstorms threaten to flood several of Utah’s national parks Thursday. Meteorologists recommend anyone who is hiking be prepared.
A large low-pressure system hangs above the Beehive state, and with it comes heavy rain.
“Today (Thursday) we have a lot of moisture available from these thunderstorms,” Salt Lake Lead Meteorologist Christine Cruz says. “And so any thunderstorms that move across Southern and Central Utah will be capable of really heavy rain.”
Cruz recommends hikers in Utah’s national parks exercise caution.
“So if you’re planning a trip to that area you want to keep an eye on the weather,” she says. “And you might just make a plan B if you were thinking about going into a slot canyon like Little Wild Horse or those locations. It might be better to make different plans [Thursday] so you’re not in danger.”
According to Cruz rain could affect places such as Capitol Reef and Glen Canyon.
She says Utah will also see storms later in summer. Likely, a “delayed monsoon.”
“We’re definitely seeing more thunder and shower storms this year,” Cruz says. “This isn’t the monsoon, this is just Pacific moisture that’s been sitting over Utah for a number of weeks.”
Devin Oldroyd contributed to this story.
