Tropical Rainstorm Nora Brings Threat of Flash Floods to Southwestern US

Tropical rainstorm Nora continues to unleash high winds and rainfall along the western Mexico coast, and AccuWeather meteorologists say it could impose flash flooding threats.

While Nora has lost some wind intensity on Monday, it is still forecasted to bring significant impacts to the country such as tropical downpours that could cause flooding in the southwestern U.S.

As Nora made brief landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on northwest coast of the Mexican state of Jalisco, Saturday evening, 500 houses had gotten damaged due to flooding. It even turned deadly on Sunday when a hotel partially collapsed in Puerto Vallarta and killed a teenager from Spain amid severe flooding, with seven people currently missing.

(Photo : Photo by NOAA on Unsplash)

Nora's tropical moisture pushing towards southwestern United States 'helps fuel' another round of monsoonal showers and thunderstorms around the middle and end of the week, across the Four Corner states.

"Nora may bring a dose of tropical moisture to parts of Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado that could lead to flash flooding during the middle and end of the week," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Rob Miller.

"It is uncommon for a tropical system to remain organized and track into the Southwest," said Miller. "However, there is a chance that Nora could remain a tropical rainstorm as it moves into Arizona."

Effects of Nora's organized circulation and moisture across southwestern US

According to forecasts, rain showers can enhance across the region as moisture from tropical systems near northwest of Mexico gets pulled into the Southwest.

Chances are, if Nora maintains an organized circulation and remains a tropical rainstorm while moving into Arizona, it could unfold significant flash flooding across a narrow zone in southern and central Arizona due to concentration of heavy rain.

On the other hand, if Nora's circulation falls apart and its moisture is pulled north, flash flooding remains a possibility but will be more isolated in nature.

In conclusion, Nora will continue to impose flash flooding threats regardless if it spread farther to the north or into portions of southern Utah, northwestern New Mexico and into Colorado.

Also read: Flash Floods Can Occur in 50 States: Here's Everything You Need to Know

Drought conditions across the western United States has lessened after heavy rains

Since the beginning of the monsoon season in June, most of Arizona had gotten above-average rainfall, while Phoenix, Flagstaff and Tucson had received above twice their normal rainfall at the time.

On the brighter side, these rains had lessened drought conditions in the region, although many parts of Arizona remain in a moderate to severe drought.

Meanwhile, it's a different equation in California and areas in southern Utah, where exceptional drought persists to be a problem. The scattered showers and thunderstorms that Nora brings seem to be insufficient and not enough to treat severe drought conditions in the regions, including some of the desert locations in Southern California and Nevada.

The said states are expected to remain dry and hot through the week, but may also experience isolated thunderstorms.

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