Heavy rains to soak the desert southwest Monday

UPDATE Tue 8:30am: Parker, AZ received just 0.11 inches between yesterday and this morning, with most of the weather pushing off to the east causing widespread flooding and road closures. Outlying areas of La Paz County to the east most likely got more, but without weather stations couldn’t be measured. A 40-60 percent chance to rain continues today.

Parker is right in the path of a large weather system set to move into the region Monday and Tuesday, with “significant if not excessive” amounts of tropical moisture being forecast by the National Weather Service.

With any big weather system comes flash flood warnings, and this storm is no exception with rainfall forecast to increase throughout the day Monday in southeast California and southwest Arizona. “Early storm total rainfall estimates through Tuesday morning range from nearly 2 inches in southwest Arizona to between 2 and 3 inches from Phoenix north and east,” according to the NWS. “Thunderstorms could also add to the rain potential.”

As always, the standard advice applies: stay out of running washes over roadways, and take care while traveling. “Residents and motorists living on traveling in flood prone areas, or in areas prone to water ponding, should concern themselves with this flood potential.”

Weather can be easily monitored here on Parker Live, and emergency alerts will be broadcast automatically on KLPZ 1380am if necessary.

Higher than normal rain this fall and winter has been predicted by climatologists due to the El Niño that has been building since 2014, with some experts predicting a repeat of the 1997 phenomenon of heavy rains and flooding.