With more rain headed to metro Phoenix, flood watch goes into effect Tuesday afternoon

PHOENIX – With heavy rains expected to fall on Tuesday and into Wednesday, weather forecasters have issued a flood watch around metro Phoenix.

The flood watch is in effect from noon Tuesday until 2 a.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.

The chance of rain during the afternoon commute is 30% and grows to 40% with some wind after midnight, the weather service said.

An active monsoon storm pattern will continue to elevate the rain chances across the region. Some of the heavier activity will cause locally heavy rainfall, which can precipitate flash flooding. Stay tuned in for further forecast updates throughout the day. #AZwx #CAwx pic.twitter.com/zzj5wDk6Sw

— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) August 9, 2022

“We expect a more active day,” Phoenix bureau meteorologist Gabriel Lojero told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday, activity that potentially drop an inch or more of rain.

Forecasters will be tracking a complex of developing thunderstorms, including one “that’s probably going to be skirting closer to the metro area probably this evening,” he said.

“It could be locally higher amounts, especially if these thunderstorms are really potent. They can drop quick – 1-2 inches of rain per hour – and that’s enough to get some flooding in some areas.

Scattered thunderstorms moved over the Valley late Monday and into Tuesday, but didn’t cause any flooding.

“The rain hasn’t been sitting over an area for an extended period of time, so that has mitigated any flash-flood concerns,” Lojero said.

Fountain Hills topped the local measurements with up to 1½ inches of rain in six hours, the Phoenix weather office said.

A gauge near Cesar Chavez Park at 35th Avenue and Baseline Road in Phoenix collected 0.75 inches of rain while Galloway Wash in Cave Creek had 0.71 inches, according to the Flood Control District of Maricopa County’s interactive map.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Jim Cross contributed to this report.

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