Tucson roads close; Arizona flood watches into Sunday

PHOENIX (AP) — Heavy rain closed roads in Tucson and triggered flood watches and warnings across much of Arizona on Saturday, with more in the forecast through the weekend.

There were no immediate reports of serious injuries or damage. But the National Weather Service warned the heaviest rain was expected Saturday evening into Sunday in south-central and southwest Arizona.

Between 1 and 2 inches (2.5 and 5 centimeters) had fallen Saturday afternoon in Pinal County south of Phoenix, the service said. It said more than one-half inch (1.2 cm) of rain fell in just 11 minutes on the southeast outskirts of the city near Queen Creek.

In northern Arizona, the biggest concerns were around burn scars from recent wildfires, including the Telegraph Fire where up to 1 inch (2.5 cm) of rain had fallen Saturday south of Flagstaff in the area where more than 280 square miles (725 square kilometers) burned in 2021.

In southern Arizona on Friday, emergency crews rescued four hikers stranded in Sabino Canyon east of Tucson, and helped 41 students and staff from Marana off school buses that got stuck in high water when the monsoonal storms began to move in.