Arizona, 2001

Flash Flood in Arizona, July 5, 2001

July 5, 2001 · NWS TWC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Green Valley fire department rescued two cars from flooded areas near Green Valley. One driver and 3 passengers were rescued from car in 2 feet of water on Esperanza Blvd near Interstate 19.

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
$90,000
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.

What happened

The episode as NWS TWC wrote it up.

Green Valley fire department rescued two cars from flooded areas near Green Valley. One driver and 3 passengers were rescued from car in 2 feet of water on Esperanza Blvd near Interstate 19. The second swift water rescue occured at La Canada and W Esperanza Blvd where 4 people were rescued from a stalled car in a foot of water. The cooperative observing site in Green Valley received 1.92 inches of rain in 40 minutes.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Tucson, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 5, 9:25 AM MST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 5, 9:25 AM MST, 2 hours 35 minutes before
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
925 AM MST THU JUL 5 2001

SYNOPSIS...ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE FOR THE
REMAINDER OF THE WEEK AND INTO THE WEEKEND. HIGH PRESSURE TO OUR
NORTH AND NORTHEAST WILL GUIDE DEEPER MOISTURE INTO SOUTHEAST
ARIZONA...WITH THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE AND THE THREAT OF HEAVY RAIN
INCREASING.

DISCUSSION...TSTMS CONTINUE ALONG MEX BORDER IN SOUTHWEST AZ DUE
TO TROF ON THE BAJA AND LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE. SHOULD SEE TSTMS
DECREASE NEXT HOUR OR SO AND SHIFT OFF TO THE NORTHWEST. MOISTURE
CONTINUES TO DEEPEN OVER THE AREA AS HIGH SHIFTS SLOWLY EAST. BY
LATER AFTERNOON WITH HEATING AND GOOD MOISTURE PROFILE ALONG WITH
STRONG UPPER DIVERGENCE SHOULD SEE MORE WIDESPREAD TSTMS. ALSO
MID/UPPER LEVEL WINDS ARE VEERING AND WEAKENING DURING THE DAY AND
TSTMS WILL BE SLOWER AND HEAVIER RAIN PRODUCERS. MODIFIED TUS
SOUNDING SHOWS VERY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE THIS AFTN. LOOK FOR AN
ACTIVE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING THRU THE ENTIRE AREA BUT BEST
TSTMS SHOULD BE FROM WESTERN COCHISE CTY TO THE WESTERN END OF THE
STATE IN BEST MOISTURE AND UPPER DIVERGENCE.

.TWC...NONE.

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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Pima

When
July 5, 12:00 PM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where
Pima County, Green Vly
Property damage
$90,000
Reported by
FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Arizona in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, July 2001

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: 5258394.