580
Recorded events
15
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$57.4M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Maricopa County, Arizona: 580 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 2. That places the county #3 nationally and #2 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Maricopa County, Arizona: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Maricopa County is the 2020s, when 289 of the county's 580 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 Maricopa County archive, flash flood makes up 21.1% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #3 for this hazard and #2 within Arizona, putting it in the 99.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Aug is the peak month for flash flood in Maricopa County with 212 recorded events, while Apr 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29, 1998 | SUNFLOWER | 0 | 3 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 23, 2020 | TORTILLA FLAT | 0 | 2 | 3 | $10K |
| Aug 18, 2021 | CAREFREE | 0 | 2 | 0 | $20K |
| Aug 14, 2021 | (GBN)GILA BEND MUNI | 0 | 2 | 0 | $25.0M |
| Aug 10, 2005 | NEW RIVER | 0 | 2 | 0 | $300K |
| Oct 12, 2025 | LIBERTY | 0 | 1 | 0 | $50K |
| Sep 26, 2025 | PARADISE VLY | 0 | 1 | 0 | $200K |
| Jul 15, 2012 | WICKENBURG | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 20, 2025 | NEW RIVER | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 20, 2025 | CAVE CREEK | 0 | $30K |
| Nov 20, 2025 | WEST CHANDLER | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 20, 2025 | PHOENIX DEER VLY ARP | 0 | $20K |
| Nov 20, 2025 | FOWLER | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 19, 2025 | GLADDEN | 0 | $20K |
| Nov 19, 2025 | GLADDEN | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 18, 2025 | BEARDSLEY | 0 | $20K |
| Nov 18, 2025 | WITTMANN | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 18, 2025 | MATTHIE | 0 | $20K |
Other hazards here
More from Maricopa County
- Thunderstorm Wind 1,519
- Hail 226
- Heavy Rain 144
- Flood 81
- Tornado 73
- Lightning 62
- Funnel Cloud 58
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Three members of a Boy Scout troop perished after their sport utility vehicle was swept out from under them. The scouts tried to cross a running wash near Sunflower. Occasionally heavy rain showers persisted in the area throughout the afternoon and early evening.
Heavy rains from widespread thunderstorms caused flash flood waters to over-flow washes from New River east to the Seven Springs area and Camp Creek. Rainfall runoff was higher than normal in the Cave Creek Complex area and contributed significantly to the rapid flooding. The first fatality involved a pickup truck with a horse trailer; the driver attempted to drive on a flooded road and the vehicle was swept away drowning the driver. The second fatality involved a seven year old girl who was being evacuated from a home along Camp Creek. The rescuer and the young girl attempted to cross the flooded creek on foot where the girl slipped from the grasp of the adult and was swept away and drowned.
According to local media reports, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office found two people had perished inside an ATV that was buried in mud and debris downstream in Camp Creek. MCSO was notified and began searching for the missing people around 1600MST on the 18th but did not recover the ATV until 0800MST on the 19th. Media reported that other recreationists were successfully rescued from the area, including a father and daughter who were trapped near Needle Rock Recreation Site and had to be rescued by helicopter. A Camp Creek rain gauge recorded 3.54 inches of rain between 1300MST and 1420MST. The Rackensack Canyon rain gauge measured 3.83 inches of rain between 1250MST and 1430MST. The Maricopa County Flood Control District also reported that Bartlett Dam Road was closed due to swiftly flowing water over the roadway from Camp Creek.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Maricopa County, Arizona?
580 flash flood events are recorded in Maricopa County between 1996 and 2025, causing 15 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Maricopa County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Maricopa County measured 2.
Where does the flash flood data for Maricopa 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 Maricopa County, Arizona.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arizona/maricopa-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.