Highlights
- Storms flooded roads in Scottsdale and Mesa overnight, trapping cars and triggering water rescues.
- The Scottsdale Fire Department used an Arizona DPS four-wheel-drive vehicle to push disabled cars to safety.
- Safety officials are urging drivers to turn around rather than attempt to cross standing water.
- AZ Central and 12 News both confirmed multiple water rescues across the Valley as storms moved through.
Sudden downpours flooded roads in Scottsdale and Mesa overnight Wednesday, trapping cars in standing water and requiring water rescues across both cities, FOX 10 reported.
The Scottsdale Fire Department deployed an Arizona Department of Public Safety four-wheel-drive vehicle to physically push disabled cars out of the water to safety, with Scottsdale Fire and Phoenix teams also responding, according to a separate FOX 10 report. AZ Central and 12 News both confirmed multiple water rescues around the Valley as the storms passed through.
AZ Family quoted witnesses describing streets turned into rivers, with one resident saying they had "never seen it like this."
Safety officials are reminding drivers to turn around and not attempt to cross flooded roadways. The city of Scottsdale has previously identified the Indian Bend Wash corridor as an area where heavy rainfall can quickly produce dangerous flooding conditions, according to ABC 15.
Who responded to the water rescues?
Scottsdale Fire Department and Phoenix teams coordinated the rescues, with an Arizona DPS four-wheel-drive vehicle used to push stranded cars out of floodwater, according to FOX 10. Crews were responding to multiple incidents simultaneously as storms moved across the Valley on the night of September 16.
Road conditions are expected to improve as waters recede; drivers should check Scottsdale's traffic restrictions page before traveling through affected corridors.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- Fox 10 Phoenix retrieved 17/09/2026 04:53
- Fox 10 Phoenix retrieved 17/09/2026 04:53
- AZ Central retrieved 17/09/2026 04:53
- 12News retrieved 17/09/2026 04:53
- AZ Family (3TV/CBS5) retrieved 17/09/2026 04:53
- ABC15 Arizona retrieved 17/09/2026 04:53
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 17/09/2026 04:53. Every claim traces to a source.
