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As forest fires rage in the drought-stricken west, severe storms continue to threaten other areas.
In Arizona, heavy rains caused flooding that crippled infrastructure, closed roads and resulted in the death of a woman in Grand Canyon National Park, officials said.
Rebecca Copeland, 29, of Ann Arbor, Mich., Was found in the Colorado River Thursday after a flash flood on a rafting trip.
ARIZONA STRIKES HARD WITH FLASH FLOODING IN NATURE FIRE BURN SCAR
The city of Flagstaff and Coconino County have opened a joint emergency operations center and Governor Doug Ducey issued an emergency declaration for the region on Friday.
“Severe flooding from wildfires is creating dangerous challenges for communities in northern Arizona,” he said. “The floods are causing road closures, damaging property and endangering the safety of the Arizonans.”
A resident backs up floodwaters as monsoon rains fell on the Museum Fire burn area causing flooding at Paradise Wash east of Flagstaff, Ariz. On Wednesday, July 14, 2021. The threat of flooding sudden spells will persist until next week, according to the National Weather Service said, although the coverage is more scattered than widespread. (Jake Bacon / Arizona Daily Sun via AP)
Some of the flooding has occurred in neighborhoods previously affected by the 2019 museum fire.
The National Weather Service said many areas of the Copper State received more rain in the past month than during the entire monsoon season of 2020.
In neighboring Utah, flooding in Iron County contributed to a train derailment on Thursday.
The accident happened near Lund, injuring three workers, but not seriously.
In this photo provided by the Iron County Sheriff’s Department, emergency personnel remove an injured train worker from the scene of a derailment near Lund, Utah on Thursday, July 15, 2021. Three workers a freight train were injured when it derailed while crossing water-covered tracks in a remote part of southern Utah Thursday night, authorities said. The train, which consisted of nearly 100 cars, rolled onto its side after derailing near Lund, about 85 miles from the Nevada border. (Iron County Sheriff’s Department via AP)
The monsoon also hit New Mexico. Highway 70 near the White Sands State Missile Range reopened after the rains covered the area with four feet of mud for over seven miles.
Paved roads were decimated as an inch and a half of rain fell in less than 15 minutes last Sunday.
A driver told the Las Cruces Sun News on Thursday that her car was suddenly washed away by the mudslide.
In Colorado, The Aspen Times reported on Friday that mudslides and flash flood warnings also led to the continued closure of Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon due to the scar from the Grizzly Creek fire of 32. 631 acres from last year.
THE GREAT SALT LAKE OF UTAH FALLS TO RECORD LOW, LAKE MEAD ALSO IN CRISIS AMID THE DROUGHT
The Midwestern states have also been hit by flash floods and thunderstorms in recent days.
In eastern Wisconsin, floodwaters from heavy rains restricted travel, closed roads and filled basements with water.
Detroit was inundated on Friday, with water flooding highways and suburbs just three weeks after a storm destroyed thousands of basements.
A state police officer used a boat to rescue a man stranded downtown on top of his submerged car.
A semi-trailer crosses a flooded street on Friday, July 16, 2021, in Dearborn, Michigan. Residents of the Detroit area are still drying out their basements due to flooding last month, but more flooding is looming on the horizon in the form of an intense rain front. crosses southern Michigan. (AP Photo / Carlos Osorio)
Cincinnati.com reported on Friday that thousands of Ohioans were without power on Friday night as heavy rains and thunderstorms swept through the area.
The NWS said on Saturday that more precipitation and thunderstorms are expected in the northeast, with low lying areas extremely sensitive to flash floods.
The agency warned of “excessive precipitation” in parts of the northeast and New England, and warned of the potential for isolated tornadoes and damaging wind gusts between western Connecticut and northeastern Maryland.
In the southeast, the lower Mississippi Valley and the southern plains, isolated showers and flash floods remain a possibility.
The NWS said the southwest monsoon could continue to produce an isolated flash flood threat, with additional rainfall and thunderstorms throughout the weekend.
Other warnings and heat watches have also been issued in Montana and the Intermountain West, and the northern plains and northern Grand Basin can expect to see above average temperatures again.
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The heat will exacerbate the drought felt in the region, increasing the danger of forest fires.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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