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A severe weather pattern is impacting the Southwest today, bringing heavy rain and a significant flood risk. The National Weather Service has issued a level three out of four flood risk for large portions of the region, including nearly all of central and northern Arizona. Parts of Colorado and New Mexico are also expected to be affected.
According to ABC News, heavy rains began Saturday evening and are expected to continue through Monday. As much as 4 inches of rain could fall across the region, which has already experienced a deadly autumn of soaking rains. Allison Santorelli, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center, noted, "It's not going to take much rainfall to be impactful at all in some of these locations just because of how saturated they are."
The National Weather Service has issued flood watches for nearly all of Arizona and parts of southern Utah, southwestern Colorado, and western New Mexico, as reported by NBC News. The Four Corners region, where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet, has been particularly hard hit by recent rains.
In Arizona, emergency crews have been busy. The Phoenix Fire Department reported rescuing people from several vehicles on flooded streets on Friday night. In Scottsdale, crews rescued a person from a vehicle on a flooded street, only to have another vehicle carrying two people drive into the same waters and require rescue. Scottsdale fire Capt. Dave Folio emphasized that just 2 inches of water can "sweep your vehicle off its wheels."
The storm is expected to move into the Plains and Midwest on Monday, with a level one out of four flash flood threat spanning from Texas to Wisconsin. According to FOX Weather, nearly 40 million Americans are under this threat. The storm is anticipated to bring heavy rain and severe thunderstorms, potentially causing flash flooding across the Plains.