Flash Flood, Santa Cruz
- When
- August 28, 3:30 PM MST to 4:00 PM MST
- Where
- Santa Cruz County, Rio Rico
- Coordinates
- 31.526, -110.847 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Arizona, August 28, 1997
Thunderstorms brought heavy rain to Rio Rico causing flooding across several roads and also washed debris across Interstate 19. One vehicle was stuck in the water.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS TWC wrote it up.
Thunderstorms brought heavy rain to Rio Rico causing flooding across several roads and also washed debris across Interstate 19. One vehicle was stuck in the water. winds blew down several street signs. This same thunderstorms caused flooding across Elephant Head Road near Sahuarita.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Santa Cruz
- When
- August 28, 3:30 PM MST
- Where
- Santa Cruz County, Rio Rico
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Coordinates
- 31.500, -110.980
Flash Flood, Pima
- When
- August 28, 3:30 PM MST to 4:00 PM MST
- Where
- Pima County, Sahuarita
- Coordinates
- 32.097, -111.790 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornadoes and Hail in Nebraska, August 28, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Montana, August 28 to 29, 1997
- Flash Flood and Hail in Nevada, August 28, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, August 28, 1997
- Tornado and Hail in Colorado, August 28, 1997
- Hail in Colorado, August 28, 1997
- Flash Flooding in New Hampshire, August 28, 1997
- Lightning Strikes in Pennsylvania, August 28, 1997
- Hail in Montana, August 28, 1997
- High Wind in Alaska, August 28, 1997
- Hail in New York, August 28, 1997
- Hail in Vermont, August 28, 1997
More
Every storm in Arizona in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, August 1997
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5613963, 5613964, 5613965.