September 27-October 3, 1983 Arizona Floods
The worst flooding to-date throughout southeastern Arizona caused by Tropical Storm Octave remnants
Reposted image from an Arizona Daily Star article published in May 10, 2020.
In 1983, an unusual set of weather conditions combined to form a storm that was very intense and lasted a week across southeastern Arizona. 8 out of 15 counties in Arizona were declared federal disaster areas by President Reagan on October 5, 1983, and the total estimated damages were around $500 million. This event saw 14 fatalities, 975 injuries, and 26,000 homes were flooded, of which 833 were completely destroyed.
One cubic foot of water is about 7.5 gallons, and 1 gallon weighs approximately 8 pounds. So, 1 cubic foot per second is the equivalent of a basketball weighing 60 pounds passing by every second!
Tom Beal's article published by the Arizona Daily Star, "The big one", reposted in 100 Years of Tucson Weather .
H.W. Hjalmarson US Geological Survey follow-up scientific report published in 1990 .
