ST. GEORGE, Utah — The St. George area received its first significant rainfall from Hurricane Priscilla's remnants late Thursday night and early Friday morning, with emergency officials warning residents to prepare for potentially more severe weather through the weekend.
Washington County Community Wildfire Specialist Bridgette Butensky said the region received about a quarter inch of rain overnight, causing some street flooding in parts of St. George.
"The next line of storms that are coming through this afternoon, this evening and into tomorrow are about the same, could be more, and it depends on how the storms roll through the county," Butensky said.
For the first time since September 2022, the National Weather Service has declared a moderate flood risk for southern Utah and upgraded the risk of severe thunderstorms. A flood watch remains in effect through midnight Sunday.
Butensky emphasized the importance of understanding weather alerts.
"I want to make sure people understand the difference between a watch and a warning. The watch is heavily prepared. Conditions are favorable. A warning is it's happening. Be prepared. It's happening now, so there is a difference," Butensky said.
Emergency officials are particularly concerned about Pine Valley due to burn scars in the area that increase flood risk.
"Everybody's mind obviously is Pine Valley because of the burn scar up there. Pine Valley is doing a good job with its sandbags. They are actually up there prepping more right now. We did have some water come over the road. It wasn't significant, it was just a little bit," Butensky said.
Further east, Moab officials are hoping recent infrastructure improvements will protect the city from severe flooding like it has experienced in recent years.
In Blanding, city officials say they're prepared for known problem areas.
"When you're in a small community, it's nice because there's, you know, we have kind of the same few people that tend to have these issues and it seems like no matter what we've done, they still tend to get water where it doesn't belong. So we're happy to offer that solution for them," said Blanding City Manager Pratt Redd.
The timing and intensity of future storms remain uncertain, making preparation crucial.
"It could happen where we could get no rain tonight and a bunch of rain tomorrow. We could get a bunch of rain tonight and no rain tomorrow. So it would be our suggestion to just monitor and be weather aware and be weather ready for now until Sunday," Butensky said.
