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SALT LAKE CITY -- Weather forecasters are warning flash flooding could sweep across parts of southern Utah on Thursday.
National Weather Service meteorologist Larry Dunn said forecasters are most concerned about wildfire burn scars. The scorched land sometimes fails to absorb water even three years after an intense fire.
"It's almost like plastic for a little while. So when it rains hard, after a fire, the water doesn't percolate for a while. It just runs along the surface."
Dunn warns water can then gather in sheets, making travel on roads dangerous.
Some canyons and narrow washes can also prove dangerous under these conditions.
"Very narrow, slick rock, canyons. They are normally dry washes, but when they flash flood they carry a lot of water quickly." Dunn points to popular trails in Zion, Capitol Reef and Arches National Parks as examples. "There are just lots and lost of these slot canyons that people are hiking in."
The rain doesn't have to fall at your location for the flooding to affect you. Water volume and speed can build up for miles, surprising hikers farther down the trail.
"The rain could fall fairly far away from that slot canyon, these people might not even get rained on themselves, but the water runs down the slot canyon. So, it could be some miles away from the actual rain," Dunn said.
Brianna is a reporter and weekend anchor for KSL News Radio. Contact her at: bbodily@ksl.com
