BEAVER COUNTY, Utah — As monsoon moisture returns to Utah, emergency managers are closely watching recent burn scars where even a brief downpour can trigger flash flooding, debris flows, and dangerous runoff.
Near Beaver, thunderstorms moved over the Cottonwood Fire burn scar Tuesday, leading to minor flooding on nearby roadways.
"We've had some storms rolling in through the Beaver area and up into the mountains to the west where the Cottonwood Fire has just recently burned," said Jesse Bender, public information officer with Great Basin Team 4. "What we've been hearing from our fire crews and folks that are out there is that there has been some minor flooding so far of the roadways."
Burn scars are especially vulnerable because wildfire changes the landscape. Vegetation that normally slows runoff is gone, and burned soil can repel water instead of absorbing it. That allows rainwater to rush downhill quickly, carrying mud, rocks, ash and other debris.
And with daily chances for thunderstorms expected through much of the next week, officials say the concern isn't going away anytime soon.
"The upper elevations got quite a bit more than we did down here in Beaver, and that is expected to continue every day for nearly the next week," Bender said. "So, we are anticipating that potential for flooding or debris flows throughout the fire area."
The threat isn't just for nearby neighborhoods. Firefighters working on active incidents are also keeping a close eye on the weather.
Incident meteorologists monitor developing thunderstorms and warn crews when storms could create dangerous conditions, giving firefighters time to move to safer locations if needed.
It doesn't take much rainfall to create problems on a fresh burn scar.
"What usually pre-burn scar conditions maybe wouldn't be a problem, now you're lowering those thresholds quite a bit more to where even a little bit of rain can really cause some problems for some of these burn scar areas," said Hayden Mahan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City.
Forecasters are encouraging anyone living, hiking or camping near recent burn scars—especially in central and southern Utah—to stay weather aware as monsoon storms become more active. Flash flooding can develop quickly, and runoff from storms several miles away can still create dangerous conditions downstream.
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