USA TODAY International Edition
Flooding risk from Rosa lingers in Southwest
Millions remain in peril with more rain expected
Heavy rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Rosa soaked the Southwest on Tuesday, and about 10 million people remained at risk of flooding. The Phoenix area saw widespread rain Tuesday morning, leading to flooded roads and commuting headaches. The storm drenched northwestern Mexico on Monday, claiming at least one victim. A woman was swept away by floodwaters and drowned in the city of Caborca, Sonora, on the Sea of Cortez. As of Tuesday morning, the center of what was left of Rosa was about 300 miles southwest of Phoenix. With winds of about 30 mph, the system was no longer tracked by the National Hurricane Center. Rain will continue to soak the Southwest over the next couple of days; as much as a half-foot is possible in the Arizona mountains. This amount of rain “may produce life-threatening flash flooding,” the hurricane center said. “Dangerous debris flows and landslides are also possible in mountainous terrain.” From Arizona to Utah, residents filled sandbags in anticipation of soaking rainfall and potential flooding. In southern Arizona, rain flooded streets and caused power outages Monday in Yuma. At least six roads in Tucson were closed because of flash flooding from washes that overflowed. Forecasts call for heavy rainfall in the watch areas, which include Las Vegas, Phoenix and Salt Lake City. Flooding is possible in slot canyons and normally dry washes. National Weather Service meteorologists in Phoenix said central and northern Arizona stood to get hit with the heaviest amounts of precipitation. Metropolitan Phoenix, where temperatures were above 100 degrees a few days ago, cooled to the 80s Monday because of Rosa. Much of Rosa’s rainfall will target an area of extreme-to-exceptional drought in the Four Corners region, according to AccuWeather. The rainfall should be enough to significantly wind back the severity of the drought. The rain is likely to help fill area lakes and reservoirs. Hurricane Sergio continued to roar far from land in the Pacific Ocean. Sergio had winds of 100 mph and was centered about 890 miles south-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California
Rain will continue to soak the Southwest over the next couple of days; as much as a half-foot is possible in the Arizona mountains.
peninsula, the hurricane center said. The storm moved west at 13 mph. It poses no threat to any land areas. In the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Leslie spun harmlessly about 1,100 miles east of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It will not affect any land areas. Closer to home, the hurricane center monitored a weather disturbance in the southwestern Caribbean Sea. It has a 20 percent chance of becoming a depression or storm within the next five days.