1,237 first-hand accounts of flood events in Arizona, ranked by impact. Each is a NOAA-written narrative of the moment.
In a classical monsoonal regime, with deep-layered east to southeast flow, high instability (MLCAPE in excess of 1000-1500 J/KG) along with abundant moisture (PWAT 1.8+ inches) resulted in an environment favorable for thunderstorms.
Read the full account →Strong to severe thunderstorms moved westward through Southeastern Arizona the afternoon and evening of August 9th, 2025. These storms caused severe wind gusts and lofted blowing dust.
Read the full account →A slow moving cutoff low was situated over southern Arizona, providing forced ascent. Two rounds of convection occurred, with the first round affecting portions of south-central Arizona during the very early morning hours (0000-0400MST) and the second round affecting far…
Read the full account →A slow moving low pressure system brought several rounds of showers and thunderstorms across portions of south-central and southwestern Arizona throughout the day on the 15th.
Read the full account →A slow moving low pressure system brought several rounds of showers and thunderstorms across portions of south-central and southwestern Arizona throughout the day on the 15th.
Read the full account →A retrograding upper level low combined with anomalously high moisture levels led to showers and isolated thunderstorms producing heavy rainfall and numerous instances of considerable flash flooding across south-central Arizona on the 25th.
Read the full account →A retrograding upper level low combined with anomalously high moisture levels led to showers and isolated thunderstorms producing heavy rainfall and numerous instances of considerable flash flooding across south-central Arizona on the 25th.
Read the full account →Strong to severe thunderstorms developed in an unstable atmosphere in the afternoon of the 22nd. Storms initially developed over the high terrain of northern and eastern Arizona as well as near the Table Top mesa area south of Phoenix.
Read the full account →Strong to severe thunderstorms developed in an unstable atmosphere in the afternoon of the 22nd. Storms initially developed over the high terrain of northern and eastern Arizona as well as near the Table Top mesa area south of Phoenix.
Read the full account →A classic bow echo developed along the Mogollon Rim in central Arizona around 1900MST on the 13th and merged with thunderstorm clusters that developed in south-central Arizona around 2030MST to form one southwestward-moving MCS that progressed all the way to the town of Yuma in…
Read the full account →An upper level trough and lead-on shortwave trough moved through Arizona during the day on the 18th. Moderate to high instability and high moisture content supported scattered strong thunderstorms.
Read the full account →An upper level trough and lead-on shortwave trough moved through Arizona during the day on the 18th. Moderate to high instability and high moisture content supported scattered strong thunderstorms.
Read the full account →An upper level trough and lead-on shortwave trough moved through Arizona during the day on the 18th. Moderate to high instability and high moisture content supported scattered strong thunderstorms.
Read the full account →A retrograding upper level low combined with anomalously high moisture levels led to showers and isolated thunderstorms producing heavy rainfall and numerous instances of considerable flash flooding across south-central Arizona on the 25th.
Read the full account →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…
Read the full account →A weakening but still potent upper level low pressure system continued to push east across Arizona during the day on March 13th, and the atmosphere across the central deserts was still very humid and a bit unstable.
Read the full account →Widespread rain, moderate to heavy at times, occurred on Saturday February 22nd and the excessive rain eventually led to episodes of areal flooding across higher terrain areas to the east of Phoenix.
Read the full account →A deep closed low along the California coast and broad upper level ridging centered over the southern Plains promoted deep southerly flow across the Desert Southwest.
Read the full account →Thunderstorms continued to develop across south central Arizona during the afternoon hours on August 12th, and they persisted well into the evening. Many of the storms affected the greater Phoenix metropolitan area.
Read the full account →A sub-tropical plume moved over Arizona ahead of a Pacific cold front. This brought a 12 to 18 hour period of moderate to heavy precipitation, with rising snow levels. Rainfall amounts were highly dependent on orographics.
Read the full account →A strong high pressure system centered near the Four Corners and a decaying thunderstorm complex over northwest Mexico brought additional moisture across western Arizona.
Read the full account →In a classical monsoonal regime, with deep-layered east to southeast flow, high instability (MLCAPE in excess of 1000-1500 J/KG) along with abundant moisture (PWAT 1.8+ inches) resulted in an environment favorable for thunderstorms.
Read the full account →A powerful Pacific low pressure system moving into the desert southwest resulted in significant rains along with embedded thunderstorms that developed across portions of La Paz County during the evening hours on November 28th.
Read the full account →During the early morning hours on September 23rd, copious tropical moisture began to spread north and into south-central Arizona. A weather system dropping south out of Nevada began to act on the moisture, resulting in the development of numerous showers and thunderstorms.
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