Highlights
- The National Weather Service in Phoenix issued a Flash Flood Warning for Maricopa County effective 12:56 p.m. MST Wednesday.
- Between 0.5 and 1.5 inches of rain have already fallen; an additional 1 to 2 inches per hour is forecast.
- Scottsdale, Phoenix, Fountain Hills, Desert Ridge Marketplace, and McDowell Mountain Park are among named flood-risk locations.
- The warning expires at 5 p.m. MST; NWS advises drivers to turn around on flooded roads, noting most flood deaths occur in vehicles.
FLASH FLOOD WARNING: The National Weather Service in Phoenix issued a Flash Flood Warning for Maricopa County in south central Arizona on Wednesday, effective 12:56 p.m. MST and running until 5 p.m. MST, citing life-threatening flash flooding from ongoing thunderstorms.
Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area as of 12:56 p.m. Between 0.5 and 1.5 inches of rain had already fallen, with an expected rainfall rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour. An additional 1 to 2 inches are possible before the warning expires.
The NWS characterizes the hazard as life-threatening flash flooding of creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets, and underpasses. Locations specifically named in the alert include Phoenix, Scottsdale, Fountain Hills, Desert Ridge Marketplace, McDowell Mountain Park, Deer Valley Airport, and Granite Reef Dam.
The Flood Control District of Maricopa County maintains a live flooded-roadway map for drivers monitoring conditions in real time.
NWS advises: turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. The warning expires at 5 p.m. MST.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- api.weather.gov retrieved 16/09/2026 19:58
- Maricopa County retrieved 16/09/2026 19:58
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 16/09/2026 19:58. Every claim traces to a source.
