SALT LAKE CITY — The National Weather Service has announced a series of warnings for Utah on Sunday. One of those warnings involve “threats of flash floods” for both Sunday and Monday.

The NWS said in a post on its X account that areas in Southern Utah could receive flash floods.

Those areas include:

• Capitol Reef National Park
• Zion National Park
• Western portions of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Other areas that could receive a flash flood include “slot canyons, normally dry washes and areas near recent burn scars.”

“If you have outdoor plans during this time involving slot canyons, please consider rescheduling them,” The post said.

In a moist airmass with little in the way of steering flow, southern Utah will see a heightened threat of flash flooding both Sunday and Monday. If you have outdoor plans during this time involving slot canyons, please consider rescheduling them. #utwx pic.twitter.com/UQVoC4Zu53

— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) June 23, 2024

KSL meteorologist Brett Benson explained what pushes in extreme flooding.

“The rivers are running high and then you get these thunderstorms that dump a bunch of extra water in an isolated area,” Benson said.

“It could be dangerous; you’ve got to be careful if you’re out there.”

Bureau of Land Management warns of elevated risks of potential washouts in the canyons and to stay clear of fast-moving rivers and overflowing streams.

Currently, some roads are closed, including Kane Creek Road and heavy debris has been reported on highway 128.

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A Utah man and his wife were found dead in a suspected murder-suicide on Thursday afternoon, days after he reflected on being a “crappy person” in his final chilling social media post.

Olin Johnson, 57, is accused of fatally shooting Kerilyn Johnson, 52, before turning the gun on himself inside their $1.34-million American Fork, Utah home, according to KUTV.

Police have not disclosed a motive for the killing, but said a family member discovered their parents’ bodies.

Neighbors of the couple said they were playing softball with them the night before the shooting, and didn’t notice any problems as Olin hinted at future plans, the outlet reported.

The couple celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary in April.

Before the tragedy, Olin shared his concerning thoughts and love for his motorcycle.

“No matter how crappy a person I am, motorcycles always love me back. Oh and skiing. Skiing loves me too,” Olin’s post on June 18 read alongside pictures of him riding his bike and skiing.

Olin’s account featured a bio that read “father to 6 great kids and one Beautiful wife,” and also featured his family, especially Kerilyn.

“The family is requesting privacy as they grieve their loss. We express our most profound and sincere condolences to the family and friends of Olin and Kerilyn,” the American Fork Police said.

According to his LinkedIn, Olin is listed as the owner of Simtek Modular, a “service company that makes modular panels for force-on-force training.”

The page alleges the company has worked on projects with the US Border Patrol, FBI and Utah County Sheriff’s Office.

Recent posts showcased the couple’s trip to Australia, where they celebrated Kerilyn’s birthday and a separate post praising her breadmaking.

Kerilyn Johnson was an adjunct faculty member at the BYU School of Music where she taught several courses over the last two years.

She is credited with performing in multiple main stage productions and performed in throughout the US, Russia and Baltic States while completing her bachelor’s degree.

“Currently, she does studio work locally and maintains her private studio at home, in addition to being a mother of six,” her bio read.

She was remembered as a generous friend that would be missed.

“Kerilyn was literally one of the most generous, kind, supportive people that I have ever known,” Gayle Lockwood told KUTV.

Lockwood, a retired voice teacher at BYU, said she had Johnson as a student and called her a friend.

“She is a light that will be missed in the world,” she added.

A GoFundMe was created by a family friend to raise funds for the Johnson children who have to make funeral arrangements.

“With the sudden passing of Olin and Kerilyn Lowe Johnson many are devastated and desire to show love and support to their six children as they navigate this tragedy,” the crowdfunding read.

“It is hoped that they would not need to shoulder the financial burden of paying for funeral expenses and other unexpected costs over the coming weeks and months.”

ST. GEORGE — With wildfires starting to pop up around the state, Stage 1 fire restrictions are now in place in southern Utah as announced Friday by the Bureau of Land Management. 

Fire managers in multiple counties are worried about the dry, hot conditions. As a result, they are urging people to be careful this summer.

What it means

So, what does Stage 1 mean when it comes to fire restrictions?

Basically, it means no campfires or open fires outside of designated areas are allowed. 

Additonally, no fireworks are allowed on public lands, but there is more.

Stage 1 fire restrictrions also include the following:

• No shooting of explosive targets.
• No metal cutting or welding in dry areas.
• No smoking near vegetation.

With the current conditions, the BLM said it’s just too dangerous.

“Right now, we are averaging between three and four fires most days of the week,” said Nick Howell, fire management specialist with the Bureau of Land Management. “We’re expecting conditions to definitely continue to dry out.”

Howell is the fire manager for the BLM’s Color Country District near Cedar City. He said most of the fires in the area could have been prevented.

“Most of our wildfires here in the Color Country Interagency Management Area are human-caused fires at this point,” he said.

The reason why fire managers are worried about the conditions is because there is a lot of grass is southern Utah.

Some portions of southern Utah have had higher-than-normal precipitation, which means a lot of grass growth, and that vegetation is starting to dry out.

Locations included

The areas under Stage 1 restriction are in Washington, Iron, Beaver, Kane, and Garfield counties as well as several areas in northern Arizona.

With temperatures expected to stay warm for the foreseeable future, fire conditions are only going to get worse.

Mark Jones contributed to this story.