Local brief
Flash Flood Warning: Garfield County, UT — flooding now or soon, until 6:15 p.m. MDT Sunday, Oct. 11
The National Weather Service has a Flash Flood Warning for Garfield County, Utah, until 6:15 p.m. MDT Sunday, Oct. 11 (5:15 p.m. PDT). Heavy rain is making creeks, washes and roads flood fast. Turn around, don't drown.
What is happening: At 3:19 p.m. MDT Sunday (2:19 p.m. PDT), radar and rain gauges, including the Escalante River gauge near Escalante, showed thunderstorms dropping heavy rain on the slickrock country of southern Utah, where water runs off fast into slot canyons, washes and roads. The National Weather Service office in Salt Lake City says flash flooding is happening now or will start soon. NWS calls this life-threatening flash flooding. Between 0.5 and 1.25 inches of rain have fallen.
Where: The warning covers south-central Garfield County in southern Utah, including the Escalante River near the town of Escalante and Utah Route 12 between mile markers 58 and 83 (the same warning covers northeastern Kane County, including the slot canyons along Hole-in-the-Rock Road). Places NWS named include the Escalante River and the slot canyons along Hole-in-the-Rock Road.
Until when: The warning lasts until 6:15 p.m. MDT Sunday, Oct. 11 (5:15 p.m. PDT). NWS can extend it or end it early, so check for updates.
Escalante slot canyons: NWS names the Escalante River and the slot canyons along Hole-in-the-Rock Road. Do not enter slot canyons or hike in creek beds or dry washes now; water can arrive in minutes from rain miles away. If you are already in one, climb to high ground and wait. Do not drive Hole-in-the-Rock Road or Utah Route 12 through running water.
What to do: Turn around, don't drown. Never drive or walk into floodwater. Six inches of moving water can knock you down, and one to two feet can carry away a car. Stay away from creeks, streams, washes, rivers and low roads. Do not drive around barricades. If water starts rising near you, go to higher ground right away. Flooded roads are hard to see in the dark.
Watch the video: 42-second Escalante flash flood warning Short: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6PTrhC2-gUY
Stay informed: Check https://www.weather.gov/slc/ for the latest from the National Weather Service, and follow the Utah Division of Emergency Management (https://dem.utah.gov), Garfield County Emergency Management and Kane County Emergency Management, and check Bureau of Land Management notices for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/utah/grand-staircase-escalante-national-monument). Turn on emergency alerts on your phone and keep it charged.
Find shelters and supplies: https://zost.app/pages/ut/garfield
Get prepared: https://noticenearby.com/prepare
Sources: National Weather Service Salt Lake City Flash Flood Warning via api.weather.gov (https://api.weather.gov/alerts/urn:oid:2.49.0.1.840.0.d6ce31c712ff0ed5c3f5f98777da84ce46c65946.001.1). Updated 2:42 p.m. PDT Sunday, Oct. 11. Notice Nearby wrote this brief in its own words. More Garfield County notices: https://noticenearby.com/ut/garfield
Source: the public notice on this register NN-ENV-ut-garfield-flash-flood-warning-2026-10-1 · National Weather Service Salt Lake City Flash Flood Warning.
This is a Notice Nearby local brief — an in-house explainer written from a government-posted notice on this register. It is not official minutes, not a newspaper story, and not Legal Publication.