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Greetings and salutations. This short presentation talks about flash floods in Arizona, and how
to stay safe when out and about during the monsoon. My name is Glen Sampson and I work
for the National Weather Service in Tucson, Arizona.
Thunderstorms routinely produce heavy rains during the monsoon, which flood low lying
areas of a road. When approaching a flooded roadway with flowing water, always remember
"Turn Around, Don't Drown". This limerick is the most important message of this video.
The majority of flash flood deaths in Arizona are associated with vehicles entering water.
After entering a flooded roadway, the driver loses control when the vehicle begins to float
and everyone in the vehicle is swept downstream. Turning around and not entering the water
can save you and your loved ones from drowning, so don't forget - "Turn Around, Don't Drown".
Let's look at the leading causes of weather-related fatalities in Arizona. As you might expect,
heat is the leading cause of death. This is followed by flash floods, dust storms and
lighting. Therefore flash floods are the second largest cause of weather-related deaths in
Arizona. This picture is a typical example of what happens, and is of a flash flood which
occurred in South Tucson. As you can see, flash floods may occur when least expected
and on the normally dry roads you travel every day.
When do most flash floods occur? This bar graph shows the number of flash floods which
occur for each month of the year. January is on the left side of the graph and December
is on the right side. As you can see, the months of July, August and September have
the largest number of floods. These floods are associated with the monsoon moisture in
the Southwest. From the last graph we know the months of
the year when most flash floods occur, but what time of day are they most prevalent?
This next bar graph shows how many floods occur in each hour of the day. The left side
of the graph starts at 1 AM. Noon is in the middle and midnight is on the far right side.
As you can see the frequency of a flash flood begins to increase around noon with a peak
in activity between 5 and 7 PM. After 7 PM we see a slow decline in frequency through
midnight. While this graph shows when most flash floods occur, the other important aspect
of this graph is that it shows a flash flood can occur at any time of the day.
As with any type of hazardous weather, the best action to take is to go inside a building.
The best method for staying safe during any severe weather is to not be out in it. If
you don't need to be outside, stay inside. If you are out and about, be aware of the
weather forecast for that day. If the threat of thunderstorms is increasing, this information
helps maintain your safety awareness. Keep track of what weather is occurring nearby
by listening to a radio or simply by taking a cell phone with you. Many cell phones automatically
alert you when a flash flood warning has been issued for your area. These phone alerts are
based on the location of the phone, not your phone number or billing location.
Most flash flood deaths occur in vehicles. When approaching a flooded roadway or low
water crossing, remember "Turn Around, Don't Drown". Be especially careful at night when
water depth and road conditions are harder to see. Take the time to find an alternate
route. People won't mind you arriving late when you explain to them you were avoiding
being a flash flood fatality.
This picture is of the damage a July storm caused to Silverbell Road near Tucson. As
you can see, a flash flood will not only sweep vehicles downstream, but can completely wash
out sections of the road. Many times a driver may be aware of water flowing across a road,
but they cannot see that the road itself may be gone. Please remember, "Turn Around, Don't
Drown".
The last piece of safety advice is to keep children away from washes and water channels
when heavy rain is in the area. Washes can go from dry to full in a matter of seconds.
A wash is not a safe area during the monsoon season.
For the latest weather forecasts from the National Weather Service, you can check weather.gov/tucson.
Additional monsoon safety information can be found at monsoonsafety.org. You can also
find the National Weather Service on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Be sure to remember -- "Turn
Around, Don't Drown". Hopefully you found this flash flood safety information useful,
and will have an enjoyable monsoon. Take care and be safe.