Flagstaff, AZ – An increasing surge of monsoon moisture is expected to raise the risk of flash flooding across much of Arizona beginning Wednesday, with the threat expanding through the end of the workweek.
According to the National Weather Service in Flagstaff, Wednesday’s greatest flash flood threat will extend from the Mogollon Rim south into Yavapai and Gila counties, where slow-moving thunderstorms are expected to produce periods of intense rainfall. The area of concern is forecast to expand across much of Arizona on Thursday and Friday as monsoon moisture continues to increase.
Forecasters warn that the strongest storms could produce 1 to 2 inches of rain in less than an hour, overwhelming dry washes, low-water crossings, and poor-drainage areas. Recent burn scars are especially vulnerable to dangerous flash flooding and debris flows.
Communities including Flagstaff, Prescott, Sedona, Payson, Camp Verde, Cottonwood, Black Canyon City, Globe, Show Low, Winslow, and surrounding areas should remain alert for rapidly changing weather conditions during the afternoon and evening hours.
Localized flooding may develop quickly where thunderstorms repeatedly move over the same location. Motorists are urged to avoid flooded roadways and remember the National Weather Service’s safety message: Turn Around, Don’t Drown. Even normally dry washes can become fast-moving torrents with little warning.
Residents with outdoor recreation plans, particularly in slot canyons, near burn scars, or along creeks and washes, should closely monitor weather forecasts and be prepared to move to higher ground if thunderstorms develop nearby.
