No injuries reported after flash flooding forces road closures at Capitol Reef National Park

FRUITA, Wayne County — No injuries were reported after flash flooding forced road closures at Capitol Reef National Park on Thursday afternoon.

The flooding started in the area around 1 p.m., according to the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City. No one was trapped or stuck in the flooding, according to Lori Rome, a spokesperson for Capitol Reef.

A storm dumped 0.9 inches of rain on the park over the course of about 90 minutes, according to a Facebook post from the National Park Service. The park has received about 1.17 inches of rain overall Thursday, Rome said. The park receives about 8 inches of rain total per year, so over an inch is a lot in one day, she added.

Ephemeral waterfalls, which only fall after significant rainfall or snowmelt, were flowing at the park, officials said.

"Probably the most spectacular thing was the ephemeral waterfalls as a result," Rome said. "It was quite beautiful."

As of 2:30 p.m., the scenic drive at the national park was closed, park officials said. The temporary closure is in effect at the fee booth, about 3 miles south of the visitor center at the park, officials said. Some cars were still on the scenic drive but were being let back out of the closure area as they returned, Rome said.

State Route 24 was also closed for about 30 minutes about 1 mile east of Fruita due to flooding but has since reopened, according to the Utah Department of Transportation.

Flash flooding events happen somewhat frequently at Capitol Reef, Rome said.

Officials didn't have an an estimated reopening time for the scenic drive. A flash flood warning was in effect in the area Thursday and expired 3:45 p.m., park officials said. Monsoon weather conditions with the possibility of heavy rainfall are expected throughout the rest of the week at Capitol Reef, Rome said.

Another flash flood warning was issued for Kane, Garfield and San Juan counties until 6:45 p.m., the weather service reported.

People are advised not to drive through floodwaters, use caution on park roads, and check weather forecasts before traveling in the area. More information is available at udottraffic.utah.gov.

Contributing: Emerson Oligschlaeger, KSL

We’re working on gathering more information and will be updating this story throughout the day.

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