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<br />-3- <br /> <br />The rains continued into the early evening hours as the flood <br />situation became critical. Sewage systems in the Murray area became inundated, <br />several hundred homes were flooded, and many more people had to be evacuated. <br />The high water pressure in the drainage systems lifted drainhole covers as <br />water shot 10 feet in the air in some locations. Several homes suffered <br />structural damage as Big Cottonwood Creek cut a new path through a housing <br />division. Underpasses beneath Interstate 15 in the Midvale area filled with <br />water, making passage impossible. Murray City Park, which was designed to <br />provide flood control for that city, was doing just that and became filled <br />with water from Little Cottonwood Creek which flows through the park. <br /> <br />By 6:00 P.M. Sunday evening the front began to move south as heavy <br />rains began in the north portion of Utah Valley. At that time, the warning <br />was continued along the Wasatch. Front southward into north Utah Valley and <br />north Wasatch County. Shortly thereafter, reports were received of heavy <br />rains in the Alpine area of north Utah County with flooding reported in the <br />Dry Creek area. <br /> <br />By Sunday evening, September 26, the Jordan River began to flood <br />because of the tremendous inflow from the Cottonwood Creeks, augmented with <br />water produced from impervious areas. <br /> <br />Later Sunday night a bridge across Little Cottonwood Creek was <br />completely washed out at 6600 South and 1100 East. The roadway up Big <br />Cottonwood Canyon to the Brighton/Solitude ski resorts was severely damaged <br />in many areas due to the flows on Big Cottonwood Creek, making it impassable <br />to traffic for about 5 days, <br /> <br />At 7:15 P.M. Sunday evening, another Flash Flood Watch was issued <br />and extended to include the majority of Utah, with the exception of the <br />southeast corner until 2:00 A.M. Monday, September 27. Additional Flash <br />Flood Warnings/Statements were issued into the night for the Wasatch Front <br />area northward into Wasatch County. <br /> <br />Light to moderate rains becoming briefly heavy at times persisted <br />the majority of the night of September 26 in northern and western Utah. <br />This continued to aggravate the flood situation in Salt Lake County as the <br />ground was thoroughly saturated. The flood problem became severe early <br />Monday morning along the Jordan River around 3300 to 3800 South. Numerous <br />trailer parks were flooded with up to 3 feet of water and considerable <br />property damage. <br /> <br />As the cold front continued to move in the evening hours, heavy <br />rains began in the Uinta Basin and heavy thundershowers developed in the <br />extreme southwest portion of the state. At 12:20 A.M. MDT Monday, Sep- <br />tember 27, a Flash Flood Warning was issued for a four-county area of <br />southwest Utah including Zion National Park. Park personnel indicated <br />1.87 inches of rainfall in about an hour with 1.80 inches reported by a <br />flash flood spotter in Rockville. A flash flood occurred between 2:00 <br />and 3: 00 A.M. Monday morning with a 2-hour lead time on the warning. Damage <br />estimates have been tagged at about one-half million dollars with severe <br />flooding of roadways and basements in the Springdale/Rockville areas of <br />Washington County. . <br /> <br />. . <br />