Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 14:18:21 EDT
Summary: Heavy rains from the remnants of Hurricane Odile are causing major flood events in the southern Arizona. The flood events are expected to cause numerous road and some bridge closures in areas near the international border with Mexico and especially along the San Pedro river in Cochise County.
Most of the heavy precipitation fell south of the international border with Mexico with estimated rainfall totals ranging from 2 to 5 inches over the past 48 hours.
Staff from the Tucson Field office of the Arizona Water Science Center are responding to flood events in two river basins. One event is occurring in the Santa Cruz river to the south of Tucson, AZ. Lee Simons and Kurt Ehrenberg are at the 09481740 Santa Cruz River at Tubac, AZ gage to make discharge measurements. The gage was showing 2,530 cfs at the time they arrived but the gage is expected to peak higher at a later time in the morning. The gage has produced peaks of 10,600 cfs on Oct. 23, 2000 and 10,300 cfs on Aug, 2 2007
A much more significant flood event is occurring on the San Pedro river in Cochise County to the southeast of Tucson. Fletcher Brinkerhoff, Matt Garcia, Hanna Coy and Brandon Forbes were sent to the 09470500, San Pedro at Palominas, AZ gage this morning. Discharge at the Palominas gage is still rising with the last transmit showing 16,900 cfs. The highest peak recorded at the Palominas gage was 22,000 cfs recorded on Aug. 14, 1940, more recent peak discharge include 15,900 cfs on Oct. 23, 2000 and 14,200 cfs recorded on Jul. 31, 2006.
Staff will be reassigned to other gages for discharge measurements as the events progress downstream.