Event narrative (NOAA)
Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies received a call around 1145 MST on the 18th of a reported drowning after an 81-year-old man fell out of his kayak and didn't resurface. The incident occurred near the Pebble Beach area along the Salt River. Other kayakers on the river pulled the man out and administered first aid but were not successful. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. Approximately 20 minutes later, a family kayaking downstream on the Salt River near the Phon D Sutton Recreation Area had to be rescued after their kayak capsized. The family managed to stay afloat by holding onto some bushes and trees. All of the family members were safely rescued via helicopter by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. Ongoing dam releases were resulting in strong currents in the river at the tim
Other notable flood events in Arizona
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.