What we covered:
• At least two people, including a Texas chiropractor, are dead and one person is missing after flash flooding over the weekend ripped through Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.
• The flooding on the canyon floor started Saturday after waves of rainfall thrashed Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch – the only lodging under the rim of the Grand Canyon.
• The Grand Canyon is open and accessible Monday after the weekend’s deadly floods. More showers and thunderstorms are possible today, and a flood watch is in effect through the evening.
Updates
(25)Our live coverage of the deadly Grand Canyon flash floods has ended for the day.
Videos capture massive storm unleash rain over Grand Canyon
Videos captured a storm sweeping through the Grand Canyon on Saturday, leading to the deadly flooding.
In the videos, storm clouds move in just before 9 a.m. Later footage shows the storm unleashing heavy rain around 1 p.m.
Jesse Jaremczak, who works at the top of the canyon on the South Rim, said she didn’t witness any flooding from her viewpoint but observed the storm’s progression throughout the day.
“It was raining all day really,” Jaremczak recalled. “In the beginning it was a normal thunderstorm. Then the supercell monster came.”
She added that she watched as the storm positioned itself directly over Bright Angel Canyon.
Search and rescue efforts hampered by weather, but continue tomorrow
With one person still unaccounted for, search and rescue operations will continue tomorrow morning after being stalled by another flash flood warning today.
“Our weather is looking much better tomorrow,” incident commander Dave Black said. “We are absolutely holding out hope that that person is still alive.”
Officials say there's no reason to believe more than one person is unaccounted for
Officials said — based on the tips they have received so far — there is no reason to believe there’s more than one unaccounted-for person after the deadly flash floods at Grand Canyon National Park over the weekend.
“They’ve cross-checked between permits, license plates, any information they have, and talked to family members to make sure that they were very sure that they were out,” incident commander Dave Black said.
Flooding site popular among day hikers, park official says
The area of Grand Canyon National Park impacted by flash flooding over the weekend is a popular spot with day hikers, Chief Ranger Justin Cully said in a news conference tonight.
“People go down to the river and back,” Cully said. “They hit Phantom Ranch, the canteen, get lemonade, things of that nature.”
As for how many day hikers may have been in the area at the time of the flooding, Cully said that number is not available.
Rangers checked license plates across park to find unaccounted-for people after floods
Rangers used the Grand Canyon National Park’s permit system to dwindle down the number of unaccounted-for people after the deadly flash floods in the park over the weekend. They made numerous calls and checked license plates across the North and South Rim of the park to reach each permit holder.
“It’s a massive place with people parked across miles, so we had cars that we had to figure out who they belonged to, whether they had a permit in the backcountry, where they were staying, all those kinds of things,” incident commander Dave Black said in a Monday news conference.
The number of unaccounted-for people dwindled down from 15 yesterday to one as of Monday evening. Eighty-two people were reported to have been rescued from out of the canyon itself.
Local authorities will use drone to scan for Bluetooth frequencies in park
A Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office drone will be used tomorrow to scan for any devices emitting Bluetooth frequencies in Grand Canyon National Park, according to Coconino County Sheriff Bret Axlund.
The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office is assisting the National Park Service in search and rescue operations.
One person still unaccounted for after Grand Canyon flash floods
One person remains unaccounted for after deadly flash fooding hit Grand Canyon National Park over the weekend, according to the number of park permits issued after rangers rescued 30 people over the last two days, incident commander Dave Black said in a news conference on Monday.
Water restrictions at park ramped up due to damage
Stage four water restrictions are now in place at Grand Canyon National Park amid damage to a main water pipeline serving tourists in the area, Brian Drapeaux, the park’s deputy superintendent, said on Monday.
The affected water pipeline provides potable water and fire suppression for all facilities on the South Rim, an area with a large concentration of hiking trails, scenic viewpoints, lodging and visitor services.
The full extent of the damage will be assessed on Tuesday, Drapeaux added.
Water gauge system alerted officials of Grand Canyon flooding
A water gauge system alerted rangers of rising waters — and shortly after went offline — as the water “picked up speed and destructive force” on Saturday during the deadly flash floods, Brian Drapeaux, deputy superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park, said in a news conference.
Grand Canyon National Park is open and accessible to the public following deadly floods
As of Monday night, Grand Canyon National Park is open and accessible to the public following deadly flash flooding over the weekend, Brian Drapeaux, deputy superintendent at Grand Canyon National Park, said during a news conference.
Officials to provide update on Grand Canyon flash flooding at 6 p.m. local time
Officials will provide an update on the flash flooding in the Grand Canyon at 6 p.m. local time Monday.
National Park Service staff, as well as law enforcement officials, will speak during the news conference.
At least two people are dead and roughly a dozen unaccounted for after flash flooding over the weekend ripped through the popular national park.
Grand Canyon rafting outfitter says all crew and guests are “doing well” after flash flood
A Grand Canyon rafting outfitter said on their website Monday that all its crew and guests have checked in and are “doing well” after a flash flood hit the park over the weekend.
“None of our trips were in the immediate area when the flood occurred,” Grand Canyon Whitewater said on its website. “We have been in satellite communication with each of our crews on the water, and they have all been briefed on the situation and are continuing our trips as planned.”
Grand Canyon Whitewater has resumed operations after the river was reopened following an assessment by National Park Service officials, and all upcoming trips are running as scheduled, the company said.
Crews are still searching for missing Grand Canyon visitors. Catch up here
Search and recovery efforts remain ongoing in Grand Canyon National Park today after a dozen park visitors presumably went missing during deadly flash floods on Saturday, according to an update from the national park. Two people are confirmed dead, and one has been identified as John Giusti, a 46-year-old chiropractor from Texas, the family confirmed.
Meanwhile, park rangers have warned that another deluge could bring more “debris flows, rockfall and changing trail and river conditions.”
Here’s what we know about the flood:
Where it happened: The flooding began Saturday afternoon after waves of rainfall thrashed Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch – the only lodging under the rim of the Grand Canyon. The ranch is located in Arizona and can be reached only on foot, by mule or by rafting the Colorado River.
Feeling the flood’s impact: A water pipeline serving tourists in the area was partially knocked out due to the flood, according to Grand Canyon National Park. “Preliminary assessments indicate approximately 40% of the Transcanyon Waterline was damaged or destroyed,” the park’s update said.
Who was impacted: As of Sunday afternoon, at least 62 people had been evacuated, the Grand Canyon National Park said in a statement. Camp visitors are asked to remain out of the area as search and recovery operations continue, the park service said. Giusti was traveling with his two friends Brent Rosenkranz and Timothy Smith, who are still missing, according to their families.
More rain to come: Today, the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center elevated the risk of flooding rainfall for the area to a Level 3 of 4 threat, meaning numerous flash floods are likely.
Correction: A previous version of this post misstated John Giusti’s age.
Texas chiropractor identified as victim of Grand Canyon floods
Family members have identified one of the victims of the Grand Canyon flash floods as 46-year-old John Giusti, according to the Associated Press
Giusti, a Texas chiropractor, was traveling on a dream trip with his two friends, Brent Rosenkranz and Timothy Smith, the families said. The three men planned to spend two nights in the canyon fishing and exploring. They spoke to their families on Thursday and found their campsite Friday, but their families have not heard from them since, according to the Associated Press.
Searchers are still looking for Rosenkranz and Smith, their families said.
Correction: A previous version of this post misstated John Giusti’s age.
Heavier rain moving toward Grand Canyon
More rain is falling this afternoon at the Grand Canyon and could become more intense in the coming hours.
The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch through Monday evening alerting the potential of flash flooding caused by excessive rain falling on already saturated ground. Additional rainfall could bring more “debris flows, rockfall and changing trail and river conditions,” rangers said.
The risk of flooding rainfall has elevated to a Level 3 of 4 threat, which means numerous flash floods are likely.
Radar currently shows showers stretched across north-central Arizona, dropping light to moderate rain in portions of the park for now.
Rescue medicine expert describes what it’s like on canyon floor as creeks start rising
Dr. Chris Davis, a wilderness and rescue medicine expert and associate professor of emergency medicine at Wake Forest University, said flash flooding in canyons can take people by surprise because the rain could be miles upstream.
“The big issue you have when you’re dealing with flash flooding in some of these canyon environments is [that] as someone’s standing there in this beautiful slide canyon, you may have completely blue skies over you, and heavy precipitation that could be miles upstream from you can fall really without any warning,” Davis said.
“You really only have moments, as the water can rise extremely fast. So, it can really take people by surprise,” he added.
Davis has taught swift water rescue at the Grand Canyon as a volunteer.
Floods hit a century-old, historical lodge
Tucked beside Bright Angel Creek nearly a mile below the canyon rim, Phantom Ranch has welcomed adventurers seeking a rare chance to spend the night at the bottom of the Grand Canyon since 1922.
There are no roads leading to the ranch.
Guests arrive only by hiking, mule ride or rafting down the Colorado River, making it one of the most remote and sought-after reservations in the National Park system and the only lodging below the canyon rim.
For more than a century, Phantom Ranch has served as a remote refuge at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
Opened in 1922, construction was carried out mostly by foot and mules, as documented by historical photographs from the National Park Service.
That isolation is now complicating recovery efforts after a powerful flash flood swept through Bright Angel Canyon on Saturday. As of Saturday, 62 people had been evacuated from Phantom Ranch and the lower North Kaibab Trail, according to the National Park Service.
Officials say nearly all footbridges spanning Bright Angel Creek were destroyed, while trails, utilities and other infrastructure suffered significant damage.
Phantom Ranch, the nearby Bright Angel Campground and large sections of the inner canyon trail network remain closed indefinitely, although the conditions of the structure are not yet clear.
The flood transformed the area surrounding the ranch. Witnesses described debris-filled water carrying mud, rocks and fallen trees through the canyon, while park officials have warned that additional rainfall could trigger more flooding, debris flows and rockfalls.
This is the second historical structure in Grand Canyon National Park affected by a natural disaster in as many years.
In July 2025, a wildfire tore through the North Rim of the Canyon and destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge, the only lodging inside the park at the North Rim.
Woman uses bare foot to keep her tent stable as winds battered it
The flooding on the Grand Canyon floor began Saturday after waves of heavy rain pounded the national park.
Wieke De Boer recounted battling extreme weather as floodwaters threatened her safety. She was outside her tent on Saturday, looking toward the South Rim, when dark skies approached. Taking shelter inside, she used her foot to brace her tent against the battering winds as water began seeping in.
“It was so crazy. There was so much wind,” De Boer said. “The frame of the tent was collapsing onto me, so I had to crouch down and either hold it up with my foot, or later I got up and tried to hold it down or hold it up.”
She added that she used her hands to keep the frame from collapsing, and then about 3 inches of water collected under her tent and around it.
She kept peeking out of her tent to check whether the nearby creek was rising.
When it calmed down a little bit, De Boer said she wanted to see if there was anything she could do to get out of the 3 inches of water she was in or maybe stake the tent down better.
“And that’s when the rangers came by and told me to start evacuating.”
Man describes what happened when flooding hit
David Gregory recounted that he and his group were settling into their cabin at Phantom Ranch, organizing and unpacking before a ranger talk and dinner, when a park ranger knocked on every door. She initially advised everyone to prepare in case an evacuation became necessary.
About ten minutes later, the ranger returned, this time with greater urgency, Gregory recalled.
She told them this was now a mandatory evacuation and the group needed to grab their stuff and go.
Gregory, who has visited the Grand Canyon at least six times, recalled that Bright Angel Creek was typically clear and gentle—perfect for cooling off on a hot day.
“This time around though, even before the rain hit, it was a black creek, and it had kind of debris in it, and it was moving faster than like the normal speed. It was moving very quickly,” Gregory said. “When the rain hit, and the rain continued more, it just got faster and faster. It was probably moving faster than I think I could run.”
