Little Wild Horse fatalaties Monday

That hurts :cry:
 
So sad. Apparently only a 10% chance of rain was forecast. Stay out of the slot canyons in spring?
 
IntrepidXJ said:
It had been raining heavily on and off all day all across the Colorado Plateau....no way it was only 10% there
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exactly!! And I even had thunderstorms in the forecast on y weather app for that day a day earlier with a super high percent chance of storms.
I would never ever even consider going into a slot canyon with that forecast.
Could have so easily prevented.

But I've seen it many times that people entered slot canyons with rumbles of thunder ahead of them.
 
Hrm.... I must have misunderstood what they said on this evening's newscast.
 
Perry said:
So sad. Apparently only a 10% chance of rain was forecast. Stay out of the slot canyons in spring?
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Spring generally isn't the dangerous season to be there. Of course, it's always a risk when there's rain in the forecast, but mid to late summer is when the afternoon storms become more likely.

Yvonne said:
But I've seen it many times that people entered slot canyons with rumbles of thunder ahead of them.
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I think another part of the issue with Little Wild Horse and Bell is that they're so popular that a lot of the people entering them aren't as aware of the risks. And then the crowdedness of the canyons can lead to bottlenecks in narrow places during events like this, further complicating things.
 
Jackson said:
Spring generally isn't the dangerous season to be there. Of course, it's always a risk when there's rain in the forecast, but mid to late summer is when the afternoon storms become more likely.


I think another part of the issue with Little Wild Horse and Bell is that they're so popular that a lot of the people entering them aren't as aware of the risks. And then the crowdedness of the canyons can lead to bottlenecks in narrow places during events like this, further complicating things.
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Very true about summer being the traditional monsoon season, as opposed to spring. I am wondering, however, if this spring might be a little off kilter from normal. Weathers patterns are changing in lots of places. Our monsoons down here where I am in southern Utah last summer were incredibly few, but also incredibly ferocious and intense. More so than most I’d witnessed in the decades I’ve lived here. This spring, we’ve already had several thunderstorms, which isn’t very common for May (but of course can happen). Who knows, of course, we’ll see how things go, but I’ve been side-eyeing the weather so far this year.

I also think that maybe so many people were so happy to escape shutdown and just get outside that perhaps they weren’t paying as much attention to what was going on in the sky when they were in the Swell. And yeah, plenty of people who visit the desert down here just do not understand how very dangerous a storm can be if you’re in a narrow canyon. Such an awful tragedy for the family.
 
Jackson said:
I think another part of the issue with Little Wild Horse and Bell is that they're so popular that a lot of the people entering them aren't as aware of the risks. And then the crowdedness of the canyons can lead to bottlenecks in narrow places during events like this, further complicating things.
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KSL or someone had a photo of a sign at Little W. that was about flashfloods. I don't recall it being there last time I was in the area, but that was some time ago.
 
Rockskipper said:
KSL or someone had a photo of a sign at Little W. that was about flashfloods. I don't recall it being there last time I was in the area, but that was some time ago.
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A sign helps for sure, and other than having rangers at the trailhead/in the canyons, is probably the best that they can do. I wonder how many read and internalize the information though. Especially after they've taken the time and driven hours to get there and do the hike.
 
Oh no...little darlings. Poor parents, I can't imagine what pain they are in.
 
here's the Wasatch Weather Weenies dude's take
wasatchweatherweenies.blogspot.com

Flash Flood Forecasts

Flash flooding in Little Wildhorse Canyon sadly took the lives of two young girls on Monday. The situation was one that is common on the Co...
wasatchweatherweenies.blogspot.com wasatchweatherweenies.blogspot.com
he shows a forecast from that morning saying 20% chance of precip
 
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