thumbnail

Cloudburst floods in Utah, 1939-69

Open-File Report
Prepared in cooperation with the Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Resources
By:  and 

Links

  • The Publications Warehouse does not have links to digital versions of this publication at this time
  • Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core

Abstract

During 1939-69, 836 cloudburst floods were reported in Utah. The largest number was in 1965, when 88 floods were reported; 63 floods were reported in 1968, and 56 were reported in 1961. The smallest number of floods reported was three in 1944. In 1942, 1948, and 1950, six floods were reported each year. The main source of data was newspaper reports.

Cloudburst floods in Utah were experienced in the vicinity of 131 of 228 communities (incorporated communities and those unincorporated places of 1,000 or more population). Floods were also reported in the vicinity of 63 other inhabited places (1,000 or less population), for a total of 194 places that experienced floods. Twenty were reported to have experienced 10 or more cloudburst floods.

Since July 1847, when permanent settlement began, Utah has experienced a total of 1,339 recorded cloudburst floods, of which 408 occurred along the Wasatch Front. These figures do not represent the total number o thunderstorms but only those violent enough to produce cloudburst floods. Many other floods that took place in sparsely settled areas have gone unrecorded.

Publication type Report
Publication Subtype State or Local Government Series
Title Cloudburst floods in Utah, 1939-69
Series title Open-File Report
Year Published 1972
Language English
Publisher Utah Department of Natural Resources
Publisher location Salt Lake City, UT
Contributing office(s) Utah Water Science Center
Description Report: 56 p.; 33 Plates in pocket
Country United States
State Utah
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details