ZION NATIONAL PARK, Utah — Storm clouds from the remnants of Hurricane Priscilla reached southern Utah Thursday afternoon, bringing heavy rainfall and flooding concerns to popular national park destinations, including Zion National Park and Moab.
The entire region remained under a flash flood watch as visitors and officials prepared for what's expected to be a very wet weekend across southern Utah.
At Zion National Park, a brief but intense downpour on Thursday afternoon temporarily turned the flood watch into a flood warning. The Virgin River rose as much as 42% within a couple of hours before beginning to recede.
Mike Holtel, visiting from South Carolina to celebrate his 61st birthday, had planned to hike The Narrows but found his window of opportunity closing.
"The window is going to close for that because we're supposed to get rain tonight. And with the water coming in, you won't be able to do it," Holtel said. "Yeah, my window's closing to be able to do some physical stuff like this."
Holtel had visited Zion 20 years ago with his children but wanted to experience The Narrows as an empty nester.
The heavy rainfall also caused a rockfall at Weeping Rock, temporarily halting shuttle bus service in the area.
Jeremy Javier, visiting from San Diego, encountered the rockfall during his visit.
"We were heading towards the Weeping Rock. And then Ranger came out and then just asked if we had noticed a rock fall, because they had had a rock fall and then the buses stopped for a little while," Javier said. "We felt completely safe. The rangers were on it."
Cities across southern and central Utah have been preparing for the incoming weather, implementing measures to mitigate potential flooding.
The greater St. George area was largely spared from the heavy rainfall before nightfall Thursday, including the burn areas of Pine Valley that have been preparing for the worst-case scenarios.
Moab, which has experienced severe flooding on several occasions in recent years, has developed comprehensive response plans. City Manager Michael Black said the city has invested heavily in flood mitigation efforts.
"We've spent millions of dollars over the last several years doing mitigation efforts to protect bridges and even protect private property and to work to keep the flood waters within the channels," Black said.
Despite the weather concerns, some visitors remained undeterred by the conditions.
"Oh, it was beautiful. No rain's going to spoil the day," Javier said.
