Water levels rise in Southwest Utah; flood warning issued for Santa Clara River

ST. GEORGE — A steady downpour of rain blanketed St. George and the surrounding area well into Wednesday night.

At 8:19 p.m. the National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the Santa Clara River in St. George.

According to the advisory, heavy rain will fall on a deep primed snowpack leading to the melt increasing. Flows in rivers will increase quickly and reach critical levels. Minor flooding of the Santa Clara River at St. George is forecast.

The flood warning followed an earlier flash flood advisory issued by the National Weather Service for Washington County lasting until 8:30 p.m.

Flooding caused by excessive rainfall was expected in southern Utah specifically for areas susceptible to runoff from the Pine Valley Mountains.

The advisory noted some of the locations that will experience flooding include Washington, New Harmony, Dammeron Valley, Gunlock State Park, Ivins, Enterprise, Leeds, Pine Valley, Veyo, Pinto, Snow Canyon State Park and Gunlock.

St. George News investigated early reports of possible flooding in Dammeron Valley around 4 p.m.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said Baker Reservoir is spilling over but is doing so by design as rains and runoff have increased river flows in Washington County, Wednesday, March 15, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, St. George News

Earlier in the day the Washington County Sheriff’s Office issued the following statement via its Facebook page:

We have become aware that some people are worried, and there may be some talk on social media, that Baker Reservoir and Gunlock Reservoir may ‘spill over.’ Although it is true Baker is spilling over, it is doing so as designed. … The Washington County Emergency Services has been and is continuing to monitor the situation and everything is OK.

State route 18 was under a deluge of heavy rainfall with large puddles of standing water at the bottom of hills. 

As seen in the video above, runoff from Baker Dam spilled over the roadway beneath, pooling to a dangerous level for passenger cars hoping to drive through.

At Zion National Park, visitor access is being impacted. According to the park’s website, “Drivers cannot travel from the East Entrance (near Mt. Carmel Junction) to South Entrance (near Springdale) due to rock in the road. We will remove this alert when the road is clear. This does not affect Zion Canyon Shuttle System service.”

Additionally, due to rockfall on Kolob Canyons Road, “Drivers cannot go past the Kolob Canyons Visitor Center.”

Forecasts called for heavy rainfall to begin clearing out of the St. George area after 9 p.m.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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