Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Update as of Aug. 31: Only one person is considered missing following the flash floods.
Widespread showers and thunderstorms brought heavy rainfall to the area in and around the Grand Canyon on Saturday, leading to severe flash flooding that resulted in dozens of air rescues and multiple fatalities. A meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Flagstaff explained that four rounds of storms dropped rain over the southern portions of the Dragon Bravo fire scar, as well as the Bright Angel Creek and Phantom Creek drainages. The first three rounds saturated the ground, but the fourth round around 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 29 delivered the heaviest rain, dropping between a half inch to over an inch of water in about 30 minutes.
This intense downpour sent cascades of ash and debris-ridden runoff down the canyon, along the North Kaibab Trail, and into Phantom Ranch. An Arizona State Climatologist Emerita stated that dry Arizona soil and wildfire burn scars are heavily to blame for the severe flooding. When high-volume rainfall hits dry or burned soil, the precipitation cannot penetrate the surface, causing immediate runoff instead of absorbing into the ground.
Wildfires like the Dragon Bravo fire also destroy surrounding vegetation, leaving fewer trees and bushes to capture rainfall and ease it gradually into the soil. With monsoon season still underway, officials urge all hikers to check weather and trail conditions before traveling into the canyon.
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Update as of Aug. 31: Only one person is considered missing following the flash floods.
Widespread showers and thunderstorms brought heavy rainfall to the area in and around the Grand Canyon on Saturday, leading to severe flash flooding that resulted in dozens of air rescues and multiple fatalities. A meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Flagstaff explained that four rounds of storms dropped rain over the southern portions of the Dragon Bravo fire scar, as well as the Bright Angel Creek and Phantom Creek drainages. The first three rounds saturated the ground, but the fourth round around 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 29 delivered the heaviest rain, dropping between a half inch to over an inch of water in about 30 minutes.
This intense downpour sent cascades of ash and debris-ridden runoff down the canyon, along the North Kaibab Trail, and into Phantom Ranch. An Arizona State Climatologist Emerita stated that dry Arizona soil and wildfire burn scars are heavily to blame for the severe flooding. When high-volume rainfall hits dry or burned soil, the precipitation cannot penetrate the surface, causing immediate runoff instead of absorbing into the ground.
Wildfires like the Dragon Bravo fire also destroy surrounding vegetation, leaving fewer trees and bushes to capture rainfall and ease it gradually into the soil. With monsoon season still underway, officials urge all hikers to check weather and trail conditions before traveling into the canyon.
Subscribe to FOX 10 Phoenix!
youtube.com/channel/UCNjfNLnQYbjBEvnS8KFuyGQ?sub_confirmation=1
#grandcanyon #flashflood #flood #severe #weather #burn #fire #wildfire #news #arizona #fox10phoenix
FOX 10 Phoenix delivers breaking news, live events, politics, entertainment, business news and local stories from Phoenix, Arizona and across the nation.
Watch more FOX 10 Phoenix on YouTube:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP4QUeU7Yj0c
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjk-Nxa5HqPtq-kkrH0cQ3ZIYpLj5MGVT
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjk-Nxa5HqPtUghAGmV3byRgXEYXhZFT3
