This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Homeowners tried to de-muck their homes Monday after record rains this weekend flooded residences in Cache and Carbon counties.
Nearly 1 inch (0.96) of rain fell Sunday on Price in Carbon County, doubling the old high-water mark of 0.48 inches set in 2005. Two dozen homes were inundated at that Pilling's Trailer Court in Carbonville, near Price, forcing residents into shelters set up by the Utah Red Cross.
"We're busy trying to find out how we can help some of these families re-establish their residencies," said Price Mayor Joe Piccolo.
In all, according to Carbon County Chief Sheriff's Deputy Tom Stefanoff, 45 homes sustained varying degrees of damage from floodwaters in the central Utah county. Monday's efforts focused on cleanup, with floodwaters having receded.
Meanwhile, in southcentral Utah, a bridge over the rain-swollen Paria River remained closed Monday after it partially collapsed this weekend and sent an Italian tourist couple's car plunging into the water.
The Garfield County Sheriff's Office said engineers were assessing the damage from the collapse, which was blamed on heavy Saturday storms and floodwaters that undercut the road.
There was no immediate estimate for when repairs could be made to the primary route to the popular Kodachrome Basin State Park, which was closed on Monday.
Sussana Dursi, 47, and 62-year-old Roberto Bellocci, were driving back to their Kodachrome campsite about 9 p.m. Saturday when the asphalt gave way, plunging their car into the river.
The sheriff's office said the vehicle was carried about 150 yards downstream before toppling onto its top. Dursi and Bellocci escaped through a back window and climbed onto the wreckage that was not submerged. A short time later an approaching motorist noticed and reported the road collapse, and an arriving deputy heard the couple calling for help in the darkness.
Deputy Clint Pearson reportedly lit up the area with a spotlight, located the stranded duo, and called in the county's search and rescue unit to safely retrieve the Italians by boat. The couple were treated for hypothermia at Garfield Memorial Hospital and later released.
Authorities also evacuated campers at the park via a temporary bridge, then closed down the route.
Other records reported on Sunday included Laketown, which had 1.43 inches (beating the 1923 record of 0.57) and Duchesne with 1.44 inches (doubling its 1919 mark of 0.71).
In Emery County, heavy rainfall sent flows of debris across Highways 31 and 29, closing the former and restricting the latter into Monday.
But now Utah is taking a bit of a break from the heavy rains. The National Weather Service is forecasting cloudy skies, scattered rain showers and isolated thunderstorms as the new week gets underway along the Wasatch Front — nothing like the torrents that flooded basements and downed bridges.
High temperatures Tuesday in northern Utah are to range into the mid-60s with overnight lows dipping to the upper 40s.
Southern Utahns looked for Monday morning's isolated rain showers to give way to a drier trend on Tuesday, when cloudy skies dissipate to sunshine and highs in the upper 70s — up about 5 degrees from Monday's readings.
The Utah Division of Air Quality rated the entire state at "green," or healthy breathing conditions into the new work week.
The Intermountain Allergy & Asthma website listed only sagebrush as "very high," on its pollen index as of Monday, while ragweed and mold were "moderate."
To find more detailed forecast information, visit the Tribune's weather page at sltrib.com/weather.
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