A powerful storm dumped large amounts of rain Saturday, prompting flash flood watches and warnings for much of the area, according to the National Weather Service.
Forecasters say northern Utah should expect up to a 60 percent chance of rain today, with wind blowing 15 to 25 mph. Temperatures will be in the low 60s during the day and the mid-40s overnight.
The weather service estimated areas of eastern Washington, central Iron and western Kane and Garfield counties received between 1 and 2 inches of rain Saturday.
The storm slowly moved north but did not cause significant flooding in the area of the Milford Flat fire, which charred much of eastern Beaver and Millard counties this summer.
"When we get rains like this, there is concern we can get debris flows coming off it," said Monica Traphagan, a weather service meteorologist.
A flash-flood warning was in effect for eastern Washington and central Iron counties until 5 p.m. Saturday. The weather service also issued a flash-flood watch until 9 p.m. for portions of central, southern and southwestern areas of the state Saturday, including Glen Canyon Recreation Area/Lake Powell, Dixie State Park and Zion National Park.
Rain caused flooding in Iron and Washington counties, though no serious property damage was reported. No major traffic issues were reported along I-15, said Sgt. Blaine Robbins, a Utah Highway Patrol spokesman. There was, however, a fatal crash while it was raining that killed a man and an infant about 4:15 p.m. on U.S. Highway 89 in Utah County, Robbins said. The road was closed for two hours while troopers investigated the crash.
Some of the worst problems appeared in the community of Dammeron Valley, northwest of St. George, where the fire department placed sandbags in streets to divert water through pastures and into culverts.
For some homeowners here, yards became canals. Brooks Baker's home on Coyote Way had water from his front porch to the street.
Baker, a retiree who has lived here since 1993, said it's the third time in less than three years his yard has been victimized by flooding.
"There's 14 years of very hard work both on my part and my wife's and it's washing away," Baker said.
In Ivins, the fire and public works departments worked to unclog storm drains.
"When these cells come through with these heavy storms, it just overwhelms the [drainage] system," said Dale Williams, the deputy chief of the Ivins Fire Department.
About 11 a.m., Williams was helping clear debris from a drain at the corner of 600 South and 200 East. Backed-up water had created a shallow moat around a trailer home there.
A January 2005 flood that caused problems throughout Washington County caused $18,000 in damage to Baker's landscaping and septic system, he said. Another flood Aug. 1 would have sent water into the house, Baker said, if the Fire Department had not acted quickly to divert the water.
Baker wants culverts along State Road 18 improved to divert water into the Santa Clara River, either to the north through existing culverts or south through natural drainages.
Rainfall tapered off into the evening Saturday as a strong low pressure system from California continued to enter the state, Traphagan said. He advised motorists not to drive through flowing or standing water. Others living along streams or creeks should also take appropriate precautions, she said.
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