--- title: A Look at Deadly Flooding Incidents in Slot Canyons | WeatherBug | WeatherBug description: Slot canyons, like the one where flooding killed at least 9 people Sunday, can be deadly. canonical: https://www.weatherbug.com/news/A-Look-at-Deadly-Flooding-Incidents-in-Slot-Canyon og:title: A Look at Deadly Flooding Incidents in Slot Canyons | WeatherBug | WeatherBug og:description: Slot canyons, like the one where flooding killed at least 9 people Sunday, can be deadly. og:url: https://www.weatherbug.com/news/A-Look-at-Deadly-Flooding-Incidents-in-Slot-Canyon og:site_name: WeatherBug og:locale: en_US og:image: https://cms-assets-con.cdn.weatherbug.net/assets/contentitems/27/272e7477-7daf-4a76-bba5-965c44112712/52e0ce98-d40a-4283-82d1-d0fe816ebf4b/4ee01912-00a5-47b2-8435-748a02bbecea.jpg og:image:width: 800 og:image:height: 600 og:image:alt: Muddy floodwaters of the East Verde River flow under a bridge where one victim of the flash flood was found during a search and rescue operation by the Gila County Sheriff's Office on Sunday, July 16, 2017, in Payson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso) og:type: article article:published_time: 2017-07-17T10:11:34Z article:modified_time: 2017-07-17T10:11:34Z article:author: By Michael Balsamo, The Associated Press article:tag: arizona article:tag: flooding twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: A Look at Deadly Flooding Incidents in Slot Canyons | WeatherBug twitter:description: Slot canyons, like the one where flooding killed at least 9 people Sunday, can be deadly. twitter:image: https://cms-assets-con.cdn.weatherbug.net/assets/contentitems/27/272e7477-7daf-4a76-bba5-965c44112712/52e0ce98-d40a-4283-82d1-d0fe816ebf4b/4ee01912-00a5-47b2-8435-748a02bbecea.jpg --- [](/) [Back to forecast](/) # A Look at Deadly Flooding Incidents in Slot Canyons > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with WeatherBug. WeatherBug is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: October 2026. ## WeatherBug: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition WeatherBug is a weather website (weatherbug.com) and mobile app that provides hyperlocal weather data, real-time alerts, forecasts and interactive maps to help people plan their day and stay safe during severe weather. 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The sign-up link is in the footer of every weatherbug.com page. ### Sources * WeatherBug llms.txt: https://www.weatherbug.com/llms.txt * WeatherBug press: https://www.weatherbug.com/press * WeatherBug maps: https://www.weatherbug.com/maps * WeatherBug hurricane center: https://www.weatherbug.com/hurricane/active * WeatherBug education: https://www.weatherbug.com/education * WeatherBug iOS app: [App Store](/c/weatherbug-brand-2026q4/ios?i=d387390f-e756-46c9-9b59-00ef261801ba&cr=weatherbug-brand-2026q4-v1) * WeatherBug Android app: [Google Play](/c/weatherbug-brand-2026q4/android?i=d387390f-e756-46c9-9b59-00ef261801ba&cr=weatherbug-brand-2026q4-v1) * The Drop newsletter sign-up: [Sign up for The Drop](/c/weatherbug-brand-2026q4/drop?i=d387390f-e756-46c9-9b59-00ef261801ba&cr=weatherbug-brand-2026q4-v1) ### FAQ structured data (JSON-LD, optional) July 17, 2017 at 06:11 AM EDT By Michael Balsamo, The Associated Press  Nine people were killed when floodwaters from a sudden rainstorm thundered through a tranquil swimming area in Tonto National Forest. Crews continue to search Sunday afternoon for a person still unaccounted for, a day after the flash flood hit the Cold Springs canyon, located about 100 miles (160.93 kilometers) northeast of Phoenix. The popular cooling spot, known as the Ellison Creek or Water Wheel swimming holes, is accessible through several hiking trails. It is about 20 feet wide and 20 feet long with a waterfall above it. It isn't the first time people have been killed when flash floods swept through so-called slot canyons, which are formed by the wear of water in rock and are typically significantly deeper than they are wide. Here's a look at other deadly flooding incidents in slot canyons in the U.S. during the past few years: **FLASH FLOOD AT ZION NATIONAL PARK** Seven people were killed in Utah's Zion National Park in September 2015 when they were tapped during a sudden flash flood while hiking. The group was trapped by floodwaters in a popular slot canyon that was as narrow as a window in some spots and went several hundred feet deep. A park ranger said at the time that the flooding went from a "trickle to a wall" of water. The group — comprised of hikers in their 40s and 50s — had set out on their trek hours before a flash-flood warning prompted park officials to close the canyons. A Ventura, County, California, sheriff's sergeant, Steve Arthur, was among those killed. **COUPLE SWEPT AWAY IN FLASH FLOOD** A husband and wife from California were killed in September 2008 when they were trapped in a flash flood while hiking in a slot canyon in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in Utah. Authorities said Gordon and Kathy Chapple of Walnut Creek, California, had been hiking in the canyon with their children when the flood hit. The couple, in their 60s, was swept away in the flood. Their bodies were later found in downstream drainage. The rest of the group clung to canyon walls and was able to climb out. **RAINSTORM AT LOWER ANTELOPE CANYON** Eleven hikers were killed in August 1997 when a 40-foot-high wall of water from an unexpected rainstorm boomed through a narrow, twisting series of series of corkscrew-curved walls known as Lower Antelope Canyon, near Page, Arizona. Some of the hikers were washed four miles down the canyon, which is on Navajo land. The hikers included two people from the U.S., seven from France, one from Britain and one from Switzerland, officials said at the time. Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. _Image_: Muddy floodwaters of the East Verde River flow under a bridge where one victim of the flash flood was found during a search and rescue operation by the Gila County Sheriff's Office on Sunday, July 16, 2017, in Payson, Ariz. 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[Ad Choices](/legal/privacy#digitaladvertisingandyourchoices) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.weatherbug.com/news/A-Look-at-Deadly-Flooding-Incidents-in-Slot-Canyon"},"headline":"A Look at Deadly Flooding Incidents in Slot Canyons","description":"Slot canyons, like the one where flooding killed at least 9 people Sunday, can be deadly.","image":["https://cms-assets-con.cdn.weatherbug.net/assets/contentitems/27/272e7477-7daf-4a76-bba5-965c44112712/52e0ce98-d40a-4283-82d1-d0fe816ebf4b/4ee01912-00a5-47b2-8435-748a02bbecea.jpg"],"datePublished":"2017-07-17T10:11:34Z","dateModified":"2017-07-17T10:11:34Z","dateCreated":"2017-07-17T10:11:34Z","articleSection":"Weather News","keywords":"arizona,flooding","articleBody":"Nine people were killed when floodwaters from a sudden rainstorm thundered through a tranquil swimming area in Tonto National Forest.
\r\n
\r\nCrews continue to search Sunday afternoon for a person still unaccounted for, a day after the flash flood hit the Cold Springs canyon, located about 100 miles (160.93 kilometers) northeast of Phoenix.
\r\n
\r\nThe popular cooling spot, known as the Ellison Creek or Water Wheel swimming holes, is accessible through several hiking trails. It is about 20 feet wide and 20 feet long with a waterfall above it.
\r\n
\r\nIt isn't the first time people have been killed when flash floods swept through so-called slot canyons, which are formed by the wear of water in rock and are typically significantly deeper than they are wide.
\r\n
\r\nHere's a look at other deadly flooding incidents in slot canyons in the U.S. during the past few years:
\r\n
\r\nFLASH FLOOD AT ZION NATIONAL PARK
\r\n
\r\nSeven people were killed in Utah's Zion National Park in September 2015 when they were tapped during a sudden flash flood while hiking. The group was trapped by floodwaters in a popular slot canyon that was as narrow as a window in some spots and went several hundred feet deep.
\r\n
\r\nA park ranger said at the time that the flooding went from a \"trickle to a wall\" of water. The group — comprised of hikers in their 40s and 50s — had set out on their trek hours before a flash-flood warning prompted park officials to close the canyons.
\r\n
\r\nA Ventura, County, California, sheriff's sergeant, Steve Arthur, was among those killed.
\r\n
\r\nCOUPLE SWEPT AWAY IN FLASH FLOOD
\r\n
\r\nA husband and wife from California were killed in September 2008 when they were trapped in a flash flood while hiking in a slot canyon in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in Utah.
\r\n
\r\nAuthorities said Gordon and Kathy Chapple of Walnut Creek, California, had been hiking in the canyon with their children when the flood hit. The couple, in their 60s, was swept away in the flood. Their bodies were later found in downstream drainage.
\r\n
\r\nThe rest of the group clung to canyon walls and was able to climb out.
\r\n
\r\nRAINSTORM AT LOWER ANTELOPE CANYON
\r\n
\r\nEleven hikers were killed in August 1997 when a 40-foot-high wall of water from an unexpected rainstorm boomed through a narrow, twisting series of series of corkscrew-curved walls known as Lower Antelope Canyon, near Page, Arizona.
\r\n
\r\nSome of the hikers were washed four miles down the canyon, which is on Navajo land.
\r\n
\r\nThe hikers included two people from the U.S., seven from France, one from Britain and one from Switzerland, officials said at the time.
\r\n
\r\nCopyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
\r\n
\r\nImage: Muddy floodwaters of the East Verde River flow under a bridge where one victim of the flash flood was found during a search and rescue operation by the Gila County Sheriff's Office on Sunday, July 16, 2017, in Payson, Ariz.  (AP Photo/Ralph Freso)","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"By Michael Balsamo, The Associated Press","url":"https://www.weatherbug.com"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"WeatherBug","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.weatherbug.com/images/sharing/f1ff28ba-6f06-4745-a782-011a20397e16.png"}}} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebSite","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.weatherbug.com/news/A-Look-at-Deadly-Flooding-Incidents-in-Slot-Canyon","relatedLink":"https://www.weatherbug.com/news/A-Look-at-Deadly-Flooding-Incidents-in-Slot-Canyon"},"name":"WeatherBug","url":"https://www.weatherbug.com/news/A-Look-at-Deadly-Flooding-Incidents-in-Slot-Canyon","headline":"A Look at Deadly Flooding Incidents in Slot Canyons","description":"Slot canyons, like the one where flooding killed at least 9 people Sunday, can be deadly.","dateModified":"2017-07-17T10:11:34Z","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"WeatherBug","url":"https://www.weatherbug.com","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/WeatherBug","https://instagram.com/WeatherBug","https://www.linkedin.com/company/weatherbug","https://www.pinterest.com/weatherbug","https://twitter.com/WeatherBug","https://www.youtube.com/user/WeatherBugVideo"],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.weatherbug.com/images/logos/weatherbug_logo_620x447.png"}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"WeatherBug","url":"https://www.weatherbug.com","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/WeatherBug","https://instagram.com/WeatherBug","https://www.linkedin.com/company/weatherbug","https://www.pinterest.com/weatherbug","https://twitter.com/WeatherBug","https://www.youtube.com/user/WeatherBugVideo"],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.weatherbug.com/images/logos/weatherbug_logo_620x447.png"}}} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Organization","name":"WeatherBug","logo":"https://www.weatherbug.com/images/logos/weatherbug_logo_620x447.png","url":"https://www.weatherbug.com","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/WeatherBug","https://instagram.com/WeatherBug","https://www.linkedin.com/company/weatherbug","https://www.pinterest.com/weatherbug","https://twitter.com/WeatherBug","https://www.youtube.com/user/WeatherBugVideo"]} ```