# HEADLINE -------------------- FLOOD WATCH WILL EXPIRE AT 6 PM MST THIS EVENING # SUMMARY -------------------- The Flood Watch will expire for a portion of south central Arizona, including the following areas, Aguila Valley, Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, Buckeye/Avondale, Cave Creek/New River, Central Phoenix, Deer Valley, East Valley, Fountain Hills/East Mesa, Gila Bend, New River Mesa, North Phoenix/Glendale, Northwest Pinal County, Northwest Valley, Rio Verde/Salt River, Scottsdale/Paradise Valley, Sonoran Desert Natl Monument, South Mountain/Ahwatukee, Southeast Valley/Queen Creek, Tonopah Desert and West Pinal County. The Flood Watch is replaced with Flash Flood Warnings and Advisories # DETAILS -------------------- WHAT Flash flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be possible. WHERE A portion of south central Arizona, including the following areas, Phoenix Metro, rural areas of Maricopa County, and Northwest Pinal County. WHEN From Saturday evening through late Sunday night. IMPACTS Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Low-water crossings may be flooded. ADDITIONAL DETAILS - Excessive rainfall - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood ISSUED AT Friday, October 30, 2026 at 5:58 PM MST ISSUED BY National Weather Service Phoenix AZ HEADER Flood Watch # PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS -------------------- You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should Flash Flood Warnings be issued. # AREAS AFFECTED -------------------- Buckeye/Avondale, North Phoenix/Glendale, Rio Verde/Salt River, Aguila Valley, Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, Cave Creek/New River, Central Phoenix, Deer Valley, East Valley, Fountain Hills/East Mesa, Gila Bend, New River Mesa, Northwest Pinal County, Northwest Valley, Scottsdale/Paradise Valley, Sonoran Desert Natl Monument, South Mountain/Ahwatukee, Southeast Valley/Queen Creek, Tonopah Desert, West Pinal County Including the cities of Coolidge, Aguila, Florence, Gilbert, Gila Bend, Casa Grande, Sun City West, Cashion, Circle City, Gladden, Sentinel, Phoenix, Surprise, Chandler, Goodyear, Fountain Hills, Paradise Valley, Liberty, Wickenburg, Sun Lakes, Maricopa, Wittmann, Avondale, Mesa, Hassayampa, Tortilla Flat, Tonopah, Arlington, Kaka, Peoria, Beardsley, Apache Junction, Scottsdale, Queen Creek, Wintersburg, and Tempe
Closest strike: 5.69 miles Stay Alert! Remain in a safe area until there has been no lightning within 10 miles of this location for 30 minutes. Please be aware that lightning activity can remain high even when a storm is moving away from your location. Even if rain has stopped, do not leave your safe area until WeatherBug indicates that lightning is more than 10 miles away from this selected location. IF OUTDOORS Avoid water, high ground, and open spaces. Avoid all metal objects including electric wires, fences, and machinery. Find a safe area in a building or in a fully enclosed vehicle with the windows completely shut. Unsafe places include underneath canopies, small picnic or rain shelters, convertibles, or near trees. IF INDOORS Avoid water and stay away from doors and windows. Avoid using a hard line telephone. Take off headphones. Turn off, unplug, and stay away from appliances, computers, power tools, and TV sets. Lightning may strike exterior electric and phone lines, inducing shocks to inside equipment.
There is a Marginal Severe Storm Risk for your location. Continue reading for today's outlook from the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. -------------------- National Severe Storm Outlook THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL ARIZONA SUMMARY Thunderstorms with isolated severe wind gusts and hail will be possible this evening in parts of southern and central Arizona. Arizona The latest water vapor imagery shows a shortwave trough over the Desert Southwest with a notable dry slot extending from southern California into western Arizona. At the surface, a 1004 mb low is located in the Sierra Nevada of eastern California with a trough extending southeastward into southwestern Arizona. Surface dewpoints along the surface trough are in the upper 50s to mid 60s F. Low-level convergence along the surface trough and large-scale ascent associated with the upper-level system have contributed to recent convective development across parts of western and central Arizona. Cell initiation will continue to be possible near the surface trough for much of the evening. In addition, the RAP has an axis of instability extending from northern Mexico into central Arizona, where MLCAPE is estimated in the 1000 to 1200 J/kg range. The WSR-88D VWP at Phoenix is sampling the wind profile east of the instability axis and has 0-6 km shear around 30 knots with gradually veering winds with height in the low to mid-levels. This should support an isolated severe threat with rotating cells. Isolated severe wind gusts and hail will be the primary threats over the next few hours.
