134
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$1.1M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Garfield County, Utah: 134 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #96 nationally and #4 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Garfield County, Utah: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Garfield County is the 2010s, when 64 of the county's 134 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Garfield County archive, flash flood makes up 71.3% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #96 for this hazard and #4 within Utah, putting it in the 96.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Aug is the peak month for flash flood in Garfield County with 51 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 10, 2008 | ESCALANTE MUNI ARPT | 0 | 2 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 26, 2023 | RUBYS INN | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 28, 2014 | TROPIC | 0 | 0 | 2 | $50K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 29, 2025 | (U07) BULLFROG/GLEN | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 7, 2025 | (U07) BULLFROG/GLEN | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 18, 2025 | ESCALANTE MUNI ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 17, 2025 | PANGUITCH | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 6, 2025 | ESCALANTE MUNI ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 4, 2025 | ESCALANTE MUNI ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 4, 2025 | ESCALANTE | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 24, 2024 | BOULDER | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 13, 2024 | ESCALANTE MUNI ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 2024 | (U07) BULLFROG/GLEN | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Flash flooding occurred in a small, but popular, slot canyon called Egypt 3, located near the Escalante River in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. This flooding resulted in two fatalities and two more injuries. ||The drainage of Egypt 3 is very small, measuring approximately 1.2 square miles. The area is void of vegetation and soil, and the underlying parent matter is Navajo Sandstone, which is virtually impermeable. Radar rainfall estimates indicated that approximately 0.2 to 0.4 inches of rain fell on the drainage. Based on calculations after the event, the peak discharge was estimated to be approximately 450 cfs, and the time from the beginning of the rainfall to peak discharge was estimated to be 24 minutes. With the dimensions of the channel, it is probable that the depth of the flood exceeded 20 feet.
A 64-year-old woman was reported overdue from a hike on the Fairyland Loop Trail. A search of the area was conducted, with the woman being found deceased. Details are unclear, but showers and thunderstorms were in the area. A news release from Bryce Canyon National Park stated dry washes had higher flows because of precipitation. Though not conclusive, a medical examiner report stated the cause of death was likely due to drowning.
The worst flash flooding in the town of Tropic in 40 years occurred as over 2 inches of rain fell over the area in 90 minutes, sending torrents of mud and water down the center of town and into houses and basements. The floods also tore large propane tanks loose and swept them away. About 30 structures sustained damage, most of them residential homes. No deaths or major injuries were reported.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Garfield County, Utah?
134 flash flood events are recorded in Garfield County between 1996 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Garfield County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Garfield County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Garfield County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Garfield County, Utah.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/utah/garfield-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.