Flagstaff flooding prompts northern Arizona weather watch as more rain approaches
Flagstaff streets flood after heavy monsoon rain
Heavy rain turned Flagstaff roads into rushing rivers, leaving northern Arizona under a flash flood watch. FOX 10's Megan Spector reports.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - Flagstaff residents are getting ready for another round of severe weather after heavy rain turned local streets into rushing rivers.
To keep everyone on high alert, the National Weather Service has a flash flood watch running for all of Northern Arizona through midnight Wednesday, Aug. 12.
What they're saying:
In a neighborhood about five minutes from downtown Flagstaff, the flooding was so severe Tuesday that the road was completely hidden beneath water.
"Oh man, it was ridiculous. Everything was completely flooded here," Flagstaff resident Joseph Clerry said.
Roads turned into rivers as the storm hit the area.
"Some of the neighbors behind here have canoes, they were out canoeing on the street," Clerry said. "The real problem is that vehicles just continue to keep driving through here after that was causing just tidal wave after tidal wave."
Flood watches issued across Arizona
Thunderstorms bring heavy rain threats to northeastern Phoenix and High Country regions.
The National Weather Service says parts of Flagstaff got between 1.5 to 2.5 inches of rain in less than an hour Tuesday.
"Trash, trash cans floating down the road here. It was just a mess," Clerry said.
Other neighbors experienced rapidly rising water levels right outside their homes.
"Next thing I knew, it was a foot. I jumped over to my truck to move it out of the way and by the time I got to the front door it was already to the bottom of my door," Flagstaff resident Raymond Hernandez said.
More Storms on the Way:
And more rain is on the way.
"We’re going to see scattered to numerous showers to thunderstorms and many of those storms are going to be capable of producing heavy rainfall, so we are certainly concerned about an enhanced risk of flash flooding. It’s going to be active tomorrow as well," Robert Rickey with National Weather Flagstaff said.
Big picture view:
Monsoon preps are being put to the test. Officials say multi-million dollar flood projects are holding up around burn scars, but this flooding stems from a different problem.
"It’s two completely different problems and two completely different projects. The burns scars are looking really good. This flooding that we’re seeing on the southside is not related to the burn scar completely. The water that is coming down there is not even from the burn scar area. It’s more a localized ponding issue," City of Flagstaff Emergency Manager Daniel Kelly said.
As the city continues to work on long-term projects to mitigate the localized flooding, residents are not just waiting around for the next downpour.
"I’m ready if it does. I mean we’ve bought pumps in the past if we have to pump to try to keep it moving away from the houses," Hernandez said.