Cars washed away after severe flash floods hit Flagstaff, Arizona

Heavy monsoon downpours affecting Flagstaff, Arizona on July 15, 2021, caused severe flash flooding for the second day in a row, forcing authorities to issue numerous warnings and advisories. 

A Flash Flood Warning was issued for Yavapai and Coconino counties, Ash Fork, and areas along Granite Creek in Prescott where a Severe Thunderstorm Warning was also issued. The storms drifted off to the southeast over I-40 and I-18 in central Arizona.

A Significant Weather Advisory was issued for the NW Coconino County between House Rock Canyon and Marble Canyon along route 89A until 17:40 MST.

NWS office in Flagstaff warned this storm is capable of producing winds up to 65 km/h (40 mph), 13 mm (0.5 inches) hail, and heavy rainfall.

In total, the NWS Flagstaff office issued flash flood warnings for about 83 800 residents of Flagstaff, Doney Park, and Winona.

Coconino County officials issued a 'shelter in place' order at 14:20 LT due to flooding in the 2019 Museum Fire burn scar. The order applied to residents in neighborhoods in east Flagstaff, including Mount Elden Estates, Paradise, Grandview, and Sunnyside, AZ Central reports.

Other parts of the state also saw heavy rains and flash flooding, including Catalina, located about 4 hours away from Flagstaff, where the Golder Ranch Fire service rescued a man and his two daughters from a car after their vehicle was swept away by flooding.

Rain will continue to make headlines across the Southwest as monsoonal moisture brings much-needed rainfall to this section of the country, NWS said.

However, instances of flash flooding will remain a concern throughout parts of Arizona and New Mexico into the weekend.

Additional isolated rainfall totals up to 25 mm (1 inch) are possible today across central and southeastern Arizona, where Flash Flood Watches have been issued to highlight the potential hazard.

Featured image credit: Roger Clark