Flash Flood and Flood in Arizona, December 8 to 21, 2007

Name: Flash Flood and Flood in Arizona, December 8 to 21, 2007
Start: 2007-12-08T06:00
End: 2007-12-21T15:00
Location: Arizona

December 8 to 21, 2007 · NWS PSR · 2 events in 1 county or zone

The second major storm system in two weeks contributed to excessive runoff and high water over a period of several days in parts of southern Gila County.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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: $100,000
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 PSR wrote it up.

The second major storm system in two weeks contributed to excessive runoff and high water over a period of several days in parts of southern Gila County.

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 Phoenix, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 8, 5:35 AM MST, 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 8, 5:35 AM MST, 25 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
535 AM MST SAT DEC 8 2007

SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA
FORECAST DISCUSSION

.SYNOPSIS...
A SERIES OF LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS WILL AFFECT THE DESERT SOUTHWEST
INTO THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK. THESE SYSTEMS WILL GIVE A CHANCE
OF SHOWERS EACH DAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THERE WILL ALSO BE A SLIGHT
CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA MONDAY AND
TUESDAY. IN ADDITION TO THE RAIN THREAT...BELOW NORMAL AFTERNOON
TEMPERATURES WILL BE THE RULE. BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK...HIGHER
PRESSURE ALOFT WILL BUILD OVER THE AREA...ENSURING MOSTLY SUNNY...
SLIGHTLY WARMER WEATHER THROUGH THE END OF NEXT WEEK.

&&

.SHORT TERM...
TODAY THROUGH MONDAY...
SLOW MOVING FRONTAL BAND OF PRECIP CONTINUING ACROSS SCNTRL AZ THIS
MORNING. KPHX HAS RECEIVED JUST UNDER ONE INCH AT PRESS TIME FROM
THIS STORM...WITH UPSLOPE AREAS TO THE N AND E OF PHOENIX MEASURING
UPWARDS OF TWO INCHES. STRONG UPPER JET JUST OFF TO THE WEST WITH
RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION PROVIDING GOOD LIFT ALONG FRONT TO GIVE THE
PERSISTENT SHOWERS. PROGS MOVE THIS JET INTO SE AZ BEFORE NOON...SO
BELIEVE THIS SHOULD CAUSE SHOWERS TO TAPER OFF ERN CWA BY THEN.
RIVERS AND WASHES CONTINUE TO RUN THIS MORNING...BUT ALL GAGES SHOW
THEM ALL WELL WITHIN THEIR BANKS. HAVE DECIDED TO CANCEL THE FLASH
FLOOD WATCH THAT WAS ISSUED BY EVENING SHIFT...OPTING TO COVER THE
SITUATION WITH SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORIES. MEANWHILE...OUT IN WRN
CWA...SKIES HAVE CLEARED AND THE CURRENT PRECIP THREAT IS OVER.

HOWEVER...MORE ACTION APPEARS IN THE OFFING NEXT THREE DAYS AS AT
LEAST TWO MORE UPPER LOWS TAKE AIM UPON THE DESERT SW. NEXT LOW TO
CONTEND WITH IS CURRENTLY OVER OREGON. PROGS BRING THIS FEATURE
RAPIDLY SWD AND DIG IT OFF THE BAJA COAST...BEFORE SWINGING IT
INLAND ON MONDAY. THIS LOW WILL HAVE A SUFFICIENTLY MOIST
ENVIRONMENT TO WORK WITH...SO CANNOT RULE OUT THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS
JUST ABOUT ANY TIME AND ANY PLACE OVER THE CWA THRU MONDAY...WITH
EVEN A THREAT OF ISOLD TSTMS BY MONDAY AS COLD AIR ALOFT AND SUFF
MOISTURE YIELD AFTERNOON LIFTED INDICIES LESS THAN ZERO. SOME SNOW
SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF ZONE 24 AS SNOW LEVELS
DROP DOWN CLOSE TO 4500 FEET OR SO...NO APPRECIABLE ACCUMULATION
EXPECTED HOWEVER.

MAX TEMPS NEXT FEW DAYS WILL ACTUALLY BE BELOW EARLY DECEMBER NORMS
...WITH MIN TEMPS NEAR NORMAL. A WELCOME CHANGE FROM A FEW WEEKS AGO
WHEN WE WERE BREAKING MAX TEMP RECORDS.

&&

.LONG TERM...
TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...
ONE LAST LOW TO CONTEND WITH ON TUESDAY...THIS ONE PROGGED TO
DROP STRAIGHT DOWN FROM THE NORTH INTO WRN AZ. ECMWF/GFS IN GOOD
AGREEMENT WITH POSITION OF THIS FEATURE. SUFFICIENT DYNAMICS WITH
THIS SYSTEM...COMBINED WITH MOIST/UNSTABLE AMS WILL GIVE ANOTHER
THREAT OF SHOWERS/TSTMS ON TUESDAY...MAINLY E OF THE CO RIVER. AFTER
THIS...HEIGHTS BEGIN TO RISE AS A DRIER NWLY FLOW ALOFT TAKES OVER.
THIS WILL GIVE US CLEARING SKIES...AND PERHAPS AT LEAST ONE OR TWO
RATHER CHILLY MORNINGS...MAY EVENTUALLY NEED A FREEZE WARNING BY
ABOUT WEDNESDAY MORNING OR THURSDAY MORNING...STAY TUNED. OTHERWISE
A NICE END WX-WISE TO THE EXTENDED.

&&

.AVIATION...
DECEMBER 8 1215 GMT (DECEMBER 8 0515 MST)

SOUTH CENTRAL AZ...INCLUDING KPHX...KIWA...AND SATELLITE AIRFIELDS.
SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH FRONTAL BAND WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD LIGHT
TO MODERATE RAIN ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH 15Z. CIGS ASSOCIATED WITH
RAIN WILL LOWER TO BETWEEN 1800 TO 2500 FT AGL...ALONG WITH PERIODS
OF REDUCED VISIBILITIES TO NEAR 3 MILES IN HEAVY SHOWERS. SHOWERS
EXPECTED TO DIMINISH AFTER 16Z AND CIGS IMPROVE TO AROUND 6000 FT
AGL...BUT SHOWERS COULD PICK UP AGAIN AS INSTABILITY INCREASES
DURING THE AFTERNOON AND PERSIST THROUGH 02Z (071209).

SOUTHEAST CA AND SOUTHWEST AZ...INCLUDING KIPL...KYUM...AND KBLH
AIRPORTS. SCATTERED LOW AND MID LEVEL CLOUDS...WITH WEST WINDS 15 TO
25 MPH AND HIGHER GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH...ESPECIALLY NEAR IMPERIAL AND
CONTINUING THROUGH 01Z THIS EVENING (071209).

AVIATION DISCUSSION IS NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDED TAFS.

&&

.PSR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...

AZ...NONE.

CA...NONE.

&&

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX IS ON THE INTERNET AT

WEATHER.GOV/PHOENIX

SHORT TERM...ESTLE
LONG TERM...ESTLE
AVIATION...MEYERS

The radar

The Phoenix radar (KIWA), 72 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Gila

When: December 8, 6:00 AM MST to December 9, 6:00 AM MST
Where: Gila County, 5 mi SE of Tonto Basin to 2.27 mi SE of Punkin Center
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 33.849, -111.288

About 500 people were stranded in their Tonto Basin homes because of flooded roads and adjacent areas around Tonto Creek. The largest rainfall amounts from this series of storms exceeded 3 inches in some spots. The river gauge at the Tonto Creek site near Roosevelt peaked at over 12 feet on the 8th. Rainfall continued into the week of December 10th, prolonging the runoff and keeping FR470 through Tonto Basin closed for several days. Globe received 1.90, and Miami had 2.72 inches from the 8th through the 12th.

Flood, Gila

When: December 9, 6:00 AM MST to December 21, 3:00 PM MST
Where: Gila County, 1.91 mi SE of Punkin Center to 2.42 mi SSE of Punkin Center
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 33.848, -111.300

Flood waters in the Tonto Creek caused road closures in the Tonto Basin area. Residents received assistance at the Tonto Basin Fire Department Annex on Elm Street.

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.
Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Arizona in 2007 Every state in 2007 This day in weather history Warnings in Arizona, December 2007

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: 65483, 91466.