What are some examples of flash floods that have occurred over northern Arizona?
The Labor Day Flash Flood of September 5-6, 1970 The loss of 23 lives and the devastation which occurred during the Labor Day weekend of September 5-6, 1970 make this event the greatest natural disaster in the history of the state. During the 24 hour period from 10 pm September 4th to 10 pm September 5th, 11.4 inches of rain were measured in the official recording rain gauge at Workman Creek, about 60 miles east- northeast of Phoenix at an elevation of 7000 feet. These heavy rains were spawned by an influx of moisture from a dying Pacific tropical storm named Norma. Of the 23 lives lost in the flooding, 14 were in the Kohl’s Ranch and Christopher Creek Campground areas at the headwaters of the Tonto Creek drainage. Most of the deaths resulted when people attempted to leave campground areas for home. Some rivers experienced water rises of 5 to 10 feet per hour, with Sycamore Creek, near Sunflower, experiencing flood waters that reached 36 feet above the creek bed.
