Aug 22, 2020
A severe warned thunderstorm pushed west from southern Gila county into eastern Maricopa county in the late evening, after sunset. The storm produced very heavy rainfall over the southern end of the 2020 Bush fire burn scar in the Four Peaks Wilderness area. The rain led to flash flooding of Alder creek, which empties into Apache lake. The flash flood consisted of a lot of large debris and ash that led to a fatal boating accident on Apache Lake.
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database (event 910149). Narrative written by NWS staff at the time of the event.
This event is one of many recorded floods in Maricopa County. See the full FEMA flood zone map, NFIP claim totals, and disaster history for the area.