Wildfire And Flood Threats Loom Over Utah’s Mountains During Monsoon Season

Wildfire and flood season are quickly approaching in Utah making it a dangerous time for the state.  

The history of wildfires is expansive in Utah and so is the history of floods. The beehive state has had its fair share of natural disasters. However, one thing people in mountain regions may not consider is how flooding can come after a devastating wildfire.  

As a kid in Arizona, I grew up seeing wildfires in the Flagstaff area but what I never considered was how living below a mountain changed the possibility of floods. After a particularly awful wildfire that I evacuated for, the monsoon season brought a deadly and destructive flood.  

Read More Here: Most Devastating Tornadoes In Utah History

This could definitely happen in the mountainous regions of Utah too. So, with wildfires can come floods. It is a rather unfortunate pairing that locals need to be aware of.  

However, not all floods come after a wildfire, some just happen, especially in canyon slot areas like in Southern Utah.  

Some of the most terrible floods in Utah have occurred in Southern Utah because of the Virgin River. Though the years of drought will make this much less likely, flooding is still a possibility.  

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The Worst Floods in Utah History 

SLC Flood 1983 

• $35 million in damages 

• 12 Injured 

• No Fatalities 

Thistle Flood 1983 

• $200 million in damages 

• 2 Injured 

• 1 Death 

Santa Clara River Flood 2005 

• 28 Home Destroyed 

• Over $300 million in damages 

Escalante River Flood 2006 

• Ruined roads at Escalante Grand Staircase 

• Hundreds Stranded 

Virgin River Flood 2010 

• Zion National Park Damaged 

• Local infrastructure Destroyed