Flood — Oak Creek and Sycamore Canyons, Arizona

2004-12-28 · Oak Creek and Sycamore Canyons, Arizona

Wider weather episode

A strong Pacific storm system moved across Arizona December 28th and 29th with heavy rainfall. The governor of Arizona declared a state of emergency for Coconino and Yavapai Counties which provided $200,000 aid for relief efforts. The heavy rain and melting snow resulted in excessive runoff in many areas from Williams to Flagstaff to Winslow and south to Prescott and Black Canyon City. High water, mudslides, and rock slides resulted in numerous road closures and evacuations in the area. Many creeks experienced significant rises. Oak Creak near Sedona exceeded bank full for a few hours when it rose 14 feet on the 29th and the Little Colorado River reached bankfull near Winslow. Some storm total rainfall amounts were: Flagstaff 3.83 inches, Crown King 4.73 inches, Sedona 4.06 inches, Winslow 0.54 inches, Payson 2.88 inches. Flagstaff received it's second largest calendar day precipitation on record. Seventy people were evacuated in southwest Flagstaff when water over-topped an earthen flood control dam. A dozen neighborhoods (about 300 people) along Oak Creek were evacuated in the Sedona area and two neighborhoods down stream. A 14 mile section of Highway 89 between Flagstaff and Sedona was closed because of rock slides. High water on the Verde River forced evacuations in Cornville andBridgeport. Four RVs were lost in Oak Creek at the Page Springs RV park while 23 vehicles were removed before the water rose too high. About 100 people were evacuated in Black Canyon City in two different mobile-home parks. Portions of Navajo Route 71 and Old Navajo Route 2 were closed northeast of Winslow when the Little Colorado River overflowed the banks. Six families were evacuated near Bird Springs on the Navajo Reservation. All thirty-one low water crossings and seven other streets were closed in Prescott due to flooding. Two passengers were rescued from a stranded vehicle in Prescott.Preliminary counts indicate that as many as 150 homes may have sustained damages up to approximately one million dollars. Roads and bridges sustained an additional one million dollars damage.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5432385. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.