Arizona, 1997

Flash Flood in Arizona, September 26, 1997

September 26, 1997 · NWS PSR · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

The radar

The Phoenix radar (KIWA), 77 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:58 UTC.

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Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Maricopa

When
September 26, 4:00 AM MST to 10:00 AM MST
Where
Maricopa County, Northwest Portion
Coordinates
33.349, -112.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three to five inches of rain which fell from Nora led to some flash flooding in portions of northwest Maricopa County. Two earthen dams gave way in Aguila and caused widespread flooding. One dike was located seven miles east of Aguila and the second in the center of the Martori Farms complex. Half of the cotton crop was lost at Martori Farms, as well as 300 to 500 acres of melons. Up to five feet of water filled Aguila. About 40 people were evacuated from the hardest hit area of the town. Water flowing down the Sols Wash was so high that the Sols Wash Bridge in Wickenburg was closed for more than two hours. There was some flooding below Sols Wash in the streets around Coffinger Park. Several houses in the area were flooded. Highway 71 west of Wickenburg and Highway 95 north were closed due to high water from the storm.

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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Arizona in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, September 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: 5623868.