Five members of a family hiking in south-central Utah were killed on Friday when heavy monsoon rains triggered a flash flood that swept through the Sunglow Campground area near Bicknell, according to the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office. The victims were identified as a Provo fire captain, his wife, and their three sons; the couple’s daughter, who was not on the trip, survived. Search crews recovered the bodies after floodwaters receded, and the US Forest Service described the loss of life as a tragedy linked to the sudden rise of water in a normally dry wash.

In the Gulf of Mexico, Tropical Storm Bertha — the second named system of the Atlantic hurricane season — was located roughly 100 miles south-southwest of Panama City, Florida, on Tuesday morning, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 km/h), the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported. A tropical storm warning stretched from the Alabama–Florida border to southeastern Louisiana, and a storm surge watch was in effect from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Alabama–Florida line, where water levels could rise by 2 to 4 feet (0.6 to 1.2 metres). Mexican meteorological authorities, however, stated that Bertha’s distance from the country’s coast meant it posed no threat to national territory, and no alerts were issued for the Yucatán Peninsula.

Separately, a powerful frontal system triggered severe thunderstorms across the Ohio Valley and the Northeast on Tuesday, prompting tornado watches for parts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. The National Weather Service warned of damaging wind gusts, large hail, and flash flooding along the Interstate 95 corridor. More than 2,000 flights were cancelled at airports in New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., according to flight-tracking data, and ground stops were briefly imposed at several major hubs. Local officials in New York City urged residents in basement apartments to be ready to move to higher ground.

In the American Southwest, monsoon rains continued to drench Utah and Colorado, with the National Weather Service issuing flash flood warnings for Zion National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, and parts of Canyonlands. Authorities warned that slot canyons and burn scars were especially vulnerable to debris flows. The Utah tragedy occurred against this broader pattern of late-July storms, and investigations into the precise circumstances of the family’s deaths remain ongoing. All weather warnings and watches remain in effect, with authorities urging residents and visitors to monitor official channels for updates.