Flash Flooding in Arizona, October 2, 2003

Name: Flash Flooding in Arizona, October 2, 2003
Start: 2003-10-02T18:00
End: 2003-10-02T19:50
Location: Arizona

October 2, 2003 · NWS FGZ · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Heavy rain caused flash flooding from Tuba City to Shonto. Some dirt roads washed out along State Route 98 about 50 miles west of Kayenta.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 FGZ wrote it up.

Heavy rain caused flash flooding from Tuba City to Shonto. Some dirt roads washed out along State Route 98 about 50 miles west of Kayenta. Navajo Routes 16 and 21 were among the dirt roads that were washed out.

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 Flagstaff, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 2, 2:30 PM MST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 2, 2:30 PM MST, 3 hours 30 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 2, 7:00 AM MST, 11 hours before

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The radar

The Flagstaff radar (KFSX), 122 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Navajo

When: October 2, 6:00 PM MST to 7:50 PM MST
Where: Navajo County, Shonto
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.400, -110.321 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Coconino

When: October 2, 6:00 PM MST to 7:50 PM MST
Where: Coconino County, Tuba City
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.839, -111.770 (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

Every storm in Arizona in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Arizona, October 2003

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5371994, 5371995.