Floodwaters tore through parts of Kane County on Monday evening, September 28, inundating properties around Orderville, Glenndale, and Mt. Carmel Junction. Heavy rain caused the East Fork of the Virgin River and normally dry washes to surge beyond their banks, according to a September 30 report.
Muddy water rushed through developed areas of Orderville, surrounding homes and leaving mud and debris behind. One Orderville home had approximately three feet of water in its basement. Floodwater also spread across portions of the Thunderbird Golf Course near Mt. Carmel Junction.
At Mt. Carmel Junction, property owner Clayton Cox told KUTV that three shipping containers were swept downstream after a drainage overflowed. Floodwater also carried cars and dumpsters and filled a fishing pond near his business.
Zion National Park dispatch confirmed flash flooding in Heaps Canyon and several other park drainages on Monday evening. KSL reported six people were stranded on the Barracks off-road trail southwest of Mt. Carmel Junction and three others were in Heaps Canyon.
Further east, the Paria River and Wahweap Creek watersheds experienced dangerous flooding. At 11:42 p.m., weather spotters reported a large flood wave moving down Wahweap Creek toward Lake Powell near Big Water. Just after midnight Tuesday, a gauge on the Paria River at U.S. 89 recorded a flood wave exceeding 3,000 cubic feet per second.
KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson stated that widespread rainfall totals of about one to 1.4 inches fell over the headwaters of the Virgin River and its tributaries. The National Weather Service said flooding was occurring along the Virgin River system late Monday, prompting a flood warning for western Kane and eastern Washington counties.
Kane County Sheriff’s Lt. Alan Alldredge warned that debris left in the East Fork could pose additional problems downstream. He noted that debris could move through drainages in Zion National Park and into Washington County, potentially collecting at choke points.
By Wednesday, officials said Orderville and Mt. Carmel Junction were among the hardest-hit areas. Kane County Emergency Management, the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, and the Roads Department continued working Wednesday with municipalities and state and federal agencies to address flood damage.
