UPDATED: Southern Utah home loses roof to high winds, initially reported as tornado

ST. GEORGE — The rain hit Cannonville hard Sunday afternoon, then what was suspected as a tornado but later confirmed as a high-wind event ripped through the small town. It blew the roof off a home and damaged yards and crops before dissipating.

Heavy rains affected the city as high winds hit Cannonville, Utah, Aug. 21, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Clint Brinkerhoff, Cedar City News

Update Aug. 22, 9 a.m. Event downgraded as high winds by National Weather Service. 

Cannonville resident Clint Brinkerhoff said it was a “pretty nice afternoon,” before the wind picked up. He estimated wind speeds reaching 65-70 miles per hour. The storm lasted about 20-30 minutes.

“It was crazy,” he said. “You couldn’t even see, it was raining so hard, and the wind was — I don’t know what it ended up being, but … I mean, you could just hear it whistling through your house.”

The Garfield County Sheriff’s Office shared a brief Facebook post stating that a tornado had touched down in Cannonville at approximately 3:45 p.m. and blew the roof off a home.

However, on Monday morning, the National Weather Service’s Salt Lake City office said the event was not a tornado but a high-wind event.

Garfield County Sheriff Danny Perkins said that the roof’s edges “lifted up and laid down to the side of the house” and that a large section was swept across state Route 12, coming to rest in a neighbor’s yard.

Perkins said that the storm was localized and only one home was involved. However, some residents experienced damage to crops or gardens.

“It rained so hard it smashed all the hay that wasn’t cut down,” he said.

The roof blew off a house after high winds in Cannonville, Utah, Aug. 21, 2022 | Photo courtesy of the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office, Cedar City News

Branches were pulled from trees and debris was “everywhere,” Brinkerhoff said, adding that homes were most likely flooded, as water was “running down every road.”

Brinkerhoff said he didn’t see a tornado because the family was “all hands on deck,” getting sandbags to keep water out of the house.

“But the way it sounded, it wasn’t your normal storm,” he said. “I mean, you could hear that there was something different.”

After the storm cleared, Brinkerhoff said Perkins took tarps to the damaged house to cover its top and protect the rest of the home in case weather conditions worsened again.

Additionally, county road crews, neighbors and individuals from the local congregations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints arrived to assist the family, Brinkerhoff said.

“We’ve got a lot of good people around,” he said.

The roof blew off a house after high winds in Cannonville, Utah, Aug. 21, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Clint Brinkerhoff, Cedar City News

The family in the affected home most likely has a place to stay, Brinkerhoff said, as they have relatives in Henrieville.

Perkins said there were also reports of flooding in Henrieville and Tropic. A road crew was reporting to Kodachrome Road, south of Cannonville, to evaluate the situation and ensure no people were stranded.

“Right now everything’s under control,” he said.

Perkins said there were no reported injuries and that “everyone seems to be safe.”

This report is based on information provided by law enforcement and those on scene, and may not contain the full scope of findings.

St. George News reporter Chris Reed contributed to this story.

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