One would think that living in Arizona would mean that rain never really occurs, but this isn't entirely true. In September of 2014, I remember waking up to my parents watching the news as a man was pictured attempting to push his car through hip high water. Then, I looked outside to see my entire backyard flooded. An extreme amount of rainfall caused flash flooding throughout the state. The reason behind this uncharacteristic event was that the Pacific Ocean Hurricane Norbert brought a large amount of tropical moisture into Arizona.
The Arizona infrastructure is not at all prepared for a substantial amount of rain and because of this, flash flooding becomes a major hazard. The state of Arizona typically experiences some degree of flash flooding during monsoon season. Because Arizona is so dry, its land and drainage systems are not designed to withstand heavy, rapid rainfall, leading to fast and dangerous flash floods that can overwhelm urban areas. Due to this, any effects of rain are multiplied. This becomes a major hazard.
In this instance, Gilbert recorded over six inches of rain which broke several records for the Phoenix Metro area. This is more rain than the entire monsoon season averages. The extreme amount of rain caused an amalgamation of issues in the state. Much of Arizona was faced with extreme flash flooding. The I-10 underwent a freeway plumbing system failure which led to stranded vehicles and an overall closure. Additionally, schools (including mine) around the valley canceled school. The storm was named "The Storm of the Century" by Arizonans and is still referenced today.
https://www.weather.gov/psr/Arizona_historic_storms
https://www.12news.com/article/weather/extreme-weather/this-day-in-weather-history-phoenix-hit-with-storm-of-century/75-eeabf163-4146-43cb-9ef3-10568f24cdf6
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