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PHOENIX (AP) – The remnants of a tropical storm inundated parts of the Southwest Desert on Tuesday, trapping some drivers in the choked streets of Phoenix as authorities prepare for possible flash floods in Arizona. in central Utah and elsewhere.
Rosa, a hurricane that was downgraded to a tropical storm and a tropical depression, reportedly killed a person in northwestern Mexico before moving north into the United States.
The National Meteorological Service issued a sudden flood warning for the Phoenix area, stating that more than 5 inches of rain fell on the Phoenix subway in the middle of the morning and that it was expected that no more than 5 centimeters of rain would have fallen on the Phoenix subway in the middle of the morning. it's raining more. The day was the second wettest October in the city, the agency said.
Meteorologist Jaret Rogers said the rain seemed to be dissipating, with scattered showers expected for the rest of the day and the next. The moisture of the storm was due to leave Arizona on Wednesday afternoon and bring rain to Utah and Colorado.
Flood watches remained in effect for parts of these two states.
Utah Governor Gary Herbert declared a state of emergency Tuesday night before potential floods caused by Rosa's remains.
Herbert said communities near burn scars created by recent forest fires were at increased risk of flash flooding and debris flow.
On Monday, Herbert mobilized about 200 National Guard soldiers to prepare for a possible flood south of Salt Lake City. The soldiers were building flood berms and erecting barriers and sandbags.
Phoenix sees sudden, sudden showers occurring during the summer monsoon, but the continuously falling rain is a rarity.
Heavy rain caused an overflow of the riverbed, pouring muddy water into a north intersection in Phoenix. The firefighters had to cross the water up to the waist to reach the people stuck in their cars. The teams fired at least six people, including a child, vehicles and took them one at a time in a fire engine.
A dozen vehicles, including a bus, were either stopped or were trying to cross it.
Rogers warned that even a brief rain could cause flooding in some areas.
"It will not take much to add to the potential for flooding," Rogers said. "Once the soil is saturated, it can no longer hold water.It rather flows rather than being absorbed by the soil."
Wet weather has been an important factor in many highway wrecks in the Phoenix area, but no serious accidents have been reported, said Kameron Lee's rider from the Department of Public Safety's ## 147 ## 39; Arizona.
Authorities have warned drivers to avoid entering the streets or doing flooded washes of water.
A Phoenix news channel reporter, KNXV-TV, posted a video on social media showing a person driving a unicycle in a flooded area, urging the weather service to recall that all types of vehicles should remain l & # 39; gap.
The rain has also led three primary schools and a secondary school to close for the day. Maricopa Community Colleges have canceled classes at each of the 10 campuses.
Instant flood watches were in effect in parts of Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah. Utah Governor Gary Herbert mobilized about 200 National Guard soldiers on Monday to prepare for a possible flood south of Salt Lake City.
Soldiers planned to build berms and build fences and sandbags, officials said.
In parts of southern Arizona, a flood warning was in effect until the middle of the afternoon. Heavy rain flooded Monday the streets of the city of Yuma on the US-Mexico border and caused power outages. At least six roads in Tucson have been closed due to sudden floods.
Mexican authorities had declared the state of emergency in Ensenada, on the Pacific coast of the state of Baja California, and in Mexicali, capital of the state located in the state of Baja California. across the border, in Calexico, California. Mexican media reported that a woman had been washed away by floodwater and drowned in the town of Caborca, Sonora, on the Sea of Cortez.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Sergio, a separate storm, reached major hurricane status in the Pacific on Tuesday, without posing an immediate threat to the land. It has winds of 115 km / h (185 km / h), making it a Category 3 storm, the US National Hurricane Center announced.
It is centered approximately 1,400 kilometers south-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula and is heading west at a speed of 13 km / h (20 km / h). Forecasters say that they expect it to continue going offshore.
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The Associated Press writer, Paul Davenport, contributed from Phoenix.
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