- Heavy rainfall in Provo caused a mudslide Wednesday night impacting Nevada Avenue and Slate Canyon.
- Crews and over 200 volunteers have removed 960 truckloads of debris so far.
- Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi praised the volunteer effort amid the significant weather event.
PROVO — Wednesday's rainfall brought much-needed moisture to some parts of the Beehive State, but it also caused a mudslide that spilled onto Nevada Avenue and Slate Canyon Drive in Provo.
A thunderstorm on Wednesday night triggered the mudslide off what seems to be the Buckley Draw Fire burn scar in South Provo, KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson said in a social media post.
The slide nearly buried a car and began piling up on the side of a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
A Facebook post from the city of Provo said debris from the slide reached as far as State Street, where Utah Department of Transportation crews responded and eventually reopened the street.
"Debris flow channels were able to protect homes in the area; however, a significant amount of mud reached the church at the intersection of Nevada Avenue and Slate Canyon Drive," said the post.
City officials asked people to avoid the Slate Canyon and Nevada Avenue area and follow the posted detour routes while crews continue cleanup work.
"Slate Canyon can be accessed from 1320 North, while Spring Creek Elementary will need to be accessed from California Avenue," the city said.
As of Thursday afternoon, city officials said crews have hauled away 960 truckloads of debris, equivalent to about 13,440 tons.
More than 200 volunteers, along with personnel from the city's public works, parks and airport crews, have helped clear the debris with shovels and buckets.
Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi called the volunteer effort a "bright spot" of what ended up being a significant weather event.
The volunteer effort has been the bright spot of this unexpected 10 year weather event that caused significant debris flow. #BuckleyDrawFirepic.twitter.com/PD8hruw6ij
— Michelle Kaufusi (@mayorkaufusi) August 28, 2025
Provo Public Works director Gordon Haight told KSL NewsRadio that the mudslide covered up "about five feet" of the meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"It covered up portions of windows. One of the doors in the kitchen — it broke through — putting about three or four feet of mud into the church," Haight said. "Of course, the landscaping outside and a fence and so forth were all damaged as a result of the mudflow."
Haight added that he hopes to remove most of the mud from the church by the end of Thursday or sometime on Friday.
He also said the city is hopeful Slate Canyon Drive can be reopened on Thursday, but there's still "quite a bit of work" that needs to be done before reopening Nevada Avenue.
This story may be updated.
