Flash Flood — Pinal, Arizona

2004-09-18 · near Florence, Pinal, Arizona

Event narrative

Local areas of heavy rainfall developed within a tropical-like environment across much of south-central Arizona. Locally windy conditions preceded the showers and thunderstorms during the late afternoon hours. A rather narrow band of heavy rain developed over mainly rural areas of northern Pinal County, which resulted in flooded homes and roads. Three to 5 inches of rain was reported in a 70 minute period in one northern portion of Pinal County, according to the county emergency manager. The worst damage occurred in the community of Queen Valley, where the sewage treatment plant had an initial damage estimate of $1.5 million. Gov. Napolitano declared an emergency and designated $200,000 to help repair roads and the sewage treatment plant. Several water rescues were made, and cars were washed out of carports. Flood waters carried various types of debris, and a propane tank was found in a tree.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5422845. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.