125
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$7.4M
Property damage
Flash Flood in La Paz County, Arizona: 125 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #111 nationally and #9 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in La Paz County, Arizona: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in La Paz County is the 2010s, when 58 of the county's 125 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the La Paz County archive, flash flood makes up 49.6% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #111 for this hazard and #9 within Arizona, putting it in the 96.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Aug is the peak month for flash flood in La Paz County with 50 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 26, 2008 | BOUSE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $50K |
| Oct 22, 2000 | WENDEN | 0 | 1 | 0 | $6.2M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 2025 | WALL | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 16, 2025 | BOUSE | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 3, 2025 | UTTING | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 4, 2025 | PARKER | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 3, 2023 | QUARTZITE | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 3, 2023 | QUARTZITE | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 3, 2023 | QUARTZSITE ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 3, 2023 | QUARTZSITE ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 3, 2023 | QUARTZSITE | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 2, 2023 | VICKSBURG | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from La Paz County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
In the early morning hours of Sunday October 22, a large low pressure area dumped four to six inches of rain over parts of eastern LaPaz and western Maricopa County. This caused flash flooding in the upper part of the Centennial Wash between the Harcuvar and Harquahala mountain ranges. The heavy runoff flowed into the town of Wenden where water ran over the highway 60 bridge. At its peak the wash was about 3/8ths of a mile wide and 12 feet deep. The resulting high water surged through the town of Wenden with at least 400 residents evacuated. There was extensive damage to the town and for many miles downstream. The reported flow was in excess of 20,000 cfs. When the flood hit Wenden, it inundated some mobile homes, causing them to lift off their foundations and float down the wash. An estimated 125 mobile homes were affected. One migrant worker was killed when flood waters swept through the town during the early morning hours. Additional heavy rainfall hit this area several days later and complicated relief efforts for many of the homeless.
A vehicle with 5 women was swept away as it was caught in raging flood waters along route 72, about a mile and a half southeast of Bouse. One woman died and her body was found about 7 miles away. An RV was also stranded by flood waters in the same wash at the same time.
Flow in Centennial Wash caused a low water crossing along Centennial Park Road to become impassable. An RV attempted to cross the flooded roadway but was swept off the road. Images also showed damage to the roadway from the flooding. No injuries were reported.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in La Paz County, Arizona?
125 flash flood events are recorded in La Paz County between 1996 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in La Paz County?
The strongest flash flood on record in La Paz County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for La Paz County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in La Paz County, Arizona.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arizona/la-paz-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.