Flash Flood in Maricopa County, Arizona

Widespread showers and thunderstorms developed across the northern portion of the greater Phoenix metropolitan area during the morning hours on August 19th, and they continued to intensify and move to the northeast into the early afternoon hours. The storms produced periods of heavy rain with peak rainfall rates in excess of 2 inches per hour. The heavy rain led to flash flooding which especially impacted the communities of Anthem and New River. According to a story posted on the AP website, flood waters raging down Skunk Creek inundated the Cox Cactus farm located at 1537 West Desert Hills Drive in Phoenix. The cactus nursery, on the east side of Anthem, lost nearly two million dollars in inventory and the owners estimated that it would take nearly two years to recover from the storm.

Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms developed across much of central Arizona during the morning hours on August 19th, and they moved steadily towards the northeast for a period of several hours, affecting the greater Phoenix metropolitan areas as well as higher terrain locations to the north and northeast of Phoenix. Due to relatively slow storm movement combined with training of echoes, heavy rainfall occurred with rain rates in excess of once inch per hour. Some locations in favored upslope areas such as New River received storm total rainfall amounts greater than 3 inches. The heavy rain led initially to flash flooding of streams, washes and roads, and subsequently areal flooding as the terrain became inundated. Multiple swift water rescues were needed, homes and trailers were flooded, and roads were closed from northern Phoenix northward into Yavapai county.