ST. GEORGE – A series of alerts issued by the National Weather Service Monday were vindicated as a severe thunderstorm crossed Washington County, impacting Washington City early and hard, flooding streets and homes, and later swelling the Virgin River significantly after a flash flood rushed through Fort Pearce Wash in the Bloomington Hills area of St. George.
An alert at 6:40 p.m.stated:
THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR THE FORT PEARCE WASH ORIGINATING OUT OF ARIZONA AND FLOWING INTO UTAH HAS VERIFIED. THE FORT PEARCE WASH RIVER GAGE LOCATED SOUTH OF ST. GEORGE AS OF 6PM REPORTED A FLOW OF 7700 CFS. THE FLOW OF 7700 CFS IS A VERY DANGEROUS FLOOD AND IS MOVING TOWARDS THE AREA AROUND THE ST. GEORGE GOLF CLUB. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… IF YOU ARE NEAR THE FORT PEARCE WASH…TAKE PRECAUTIONS TO ENSURE FOR YOUR SAFETY
By 7:40 p.m the water beneath the Fort Pierce Bridge in Bloomington Hills went from bone dry to full swell about six feet below the bridge which was lined with spectators. St. George News caught the fiercely flowing water between 7:40 and 8 p.m. on video.
(story continues below)
Videocast by Dave Amodt, St. George News
As of 9:30 p.m. the swell did not press upstream into the Santa Clara River at its point of confluence with the Virgin River and thus no visible flooding occurred at the Southgate Golf Course or car dealerships along Hilton Drive as another alert had warned.
The Virgin River was noticeably full at the Man of War Bridge in Bloomington, rushing with similar strength and turmoil to what is seen in the Fort Pierce Bridge video included.
Related posts – earlier today
- News LIVE: Storm hits Washington, homes flooded; STGnews Photo Gallery
- Traffic Advisory: Downpour on I-15, standing water, standstill traffic
- SEVERE Thunderstorm; NWS: Move to interior room, lowest floor
Related posts – earlier this year
- State officials mandate Virgin River water cuts; future uncertain
- State restricts Virgin River water use to owners of pre-1901 rights; Public Meeting Notice
- Worst drought since 1989; Virgin River near record-breaking low
- Call for submissions: Virgin River Project photo contest
- Low snowpack, dry conditions possibly extending ‘significant drought’
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Twitter: @JoyceKuzmanic
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2014, all rights reserved.
Hey let’s all go stand on the bridge over the raging flood! Bunch of dummies.
Yeah, don’t you people remember when the tiny Santa Clara “River” washed out the bridge? Don’t be stupid. Get away from flood waters, and certainly don’t stand on a structure that could be compromised. You could die!
Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down.
“Well at least it’s not snowing! ” and “I hate the snow!” Those are the utarded comments I am tired of hearing in these utarded regions.
You just said more about yourself than you could ever hope to say about the people of Utah, way to go!
And yet, here you are adding to the noise.
You should overcome you fears, come out of your shelter and see how it feels to be free.
Everyone look that’s the next generation of our future…. god help us!
Nice footage Dave Amodt… Was this taken from an RC craft of some sort?
Yeah. Let’s show the world just how stupid the St. George community really is.
Personally I think this is the BEST news reporting site for Washington County .
2 thumbs up for St George News ! !
Agreed!! The Rectum sucks!!!
We need the rain so ably, button bad it comes all at once.. Been here 19 years now, people always want to see flooded areas, just like they rush to see a fire…
was that filmed with a drone? That’s some good shot’s
What’s wrong with standing on that bridge? It’s not like it will be going anywhere just because there is some water flowing underneath it. That’s what bridges are for. They are built to flow large amounts of water under them.
Now if the water was flowing over the top, there “might” be some danger in somebody losing their footing and falling down or into the river.
Wow, what some worry warts around here.
I see what you mean Doug. Here is another fine example. People have thumbs too but that doesn’t mean you want to stick it in your butt because you can.
Life is an adventure, if I’m not standing on a bridge with flood waters beneath it, I might be riding a bike without a helmet or at home running around with scissors.
Several years ago, the bridge by the Dixie Center was washed away. It was very solid, at least until it went away.
Thanks for the Eye in the Sky Phantom video. Good job Dave.
The photo caption reads: “Virgin River at Fort Pierce Bridge, notably full and widened by storms, St. George, Utah, Aug. 18, 2014 | Photo by Dave Amodt, St. George News”
Bzzzt! Thanks for playing. That’s Fort Pierce Wash at the Fort Pierce Bridge, NOT the Virgin River.
Now if only we could get consistent Pierce vs. Pearce spelling. The BLM refers to the actual fort as “Fort Pearce” and on their historic site web page refers to the was as “Fort Pearce Wash.” The EPA’s web site refers to the entire drainage basin as the Fort Pierce drainage basin. An interesting tangent for some I suppose…
You are right, TE in all respects, best I can tell. We clarified the report immediately upon publishing as to the flash flooding the Fort Pearce Wash – running under the Fort Pierce Bridge in the Bloomington Hills area of St. George and converging with the Virgin River. But I missed the photo caption, and will take care of that now.
What’s in a name? One commenter stated that the variable spellings of Fort Pearce / Pierce come from the developer who named the road Fort Pierce Drive rather than Fort Pearce Drive, thereby forever cementing the confusion in the spellings – and it would make sense that the EPA might name a drainage basin consistent with a development. It would seem the actual wash and the fort predated the development, and yet – once named … the challenge of Pearce / Pierce will trouble us again, I’m sure.
Thank you for the tangent, I enjoyed it – now, did you enjoy the video?
Share with us anytime,
ST. GEORGE NEWS | STGnews.com
Joyce Kuzmanic
Editor in Chief
Joyce…Everyone enjoyed the video. Awesome coverage!
Way to go Dave, now Kevin & Jim S. are going to want a toy like that!
almost look like a kangaroo, lol’d
It’s run-off from the Dixie College. Go Red Storm.
In some locales surplus clean surface water is pumped underground to replenish the aquifer. The water is preserved from evaporation and surface contaminants.
God I wish it wouldd rise further and wash this whole godforsaken “city” into oblivion! Take all these old drain on society retirees with it. I hate this place!!!!
You know what would be even easier than washing the city away? Putting you on a plane. 🙂 Seriously, why do you hate it so much? It’s fun! There’s golf, good restaurants, national parks, good weather, and Las Vegas is close!