Hikers describe intense rain and wind before floodwaters ravage Grand Canyon

On a remote stretch of the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, an afternoon monsoon storm escalated into fast-forming flash flooding that hikers say caught them with little time to react. Several hikers camped along Bright Angel Creek last Saturday as muddy water surged downstream, tearing through the area with debris and damaging infrastructure. Drew Harrell, an emergency physician with Grand Canyon National Park training at the time, estimated gusts near 40 mph as skies turned in about a minute when his group entered “The Box,” the final 3 miles before Phantom Ranch. Two people died, at least one remains missing, and more than 80 were airlifted as the National Park Service assessed damage.