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NWS Warns Flash Flood Risk Across Southwest Halloween Weekend

By Drooid · Oct 30, 2026 · How we work

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Summary

The National Weather Service warns of heavy rain and flash-flood danger across the Southwest Halloween weekend.
A southward jet-stream plunge off the West Coast will pull an atmospheric river from near Hawaii into the Southwest.
Moisture over parts of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Utah could be two to three times October average.
Forecasters warn flash-flood, mudslide and swollen-river risk for Phoenix, Flagstaff, Durango and Farmington.

History

Late December 1996 a Pineapple Express atmospheric river hit Northern California, creating the New Year’s Flood of 1997—the worst since the 1862 disaster. The storm displaced over 120,000 people, caused more than $2 billion in damage, and spurred the California Department of Water Resources to revamp flood-risk management. This week a jet-stream dip draws Hawaiian moisture into the Southwest, reviving flash-flood risks reminiscent of 1997.

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Late December 1996 a Pineapple Express atmospheric river hit Northern California, creating the New Year’s Flood of 1997—the worst since the 1862 disaster. The storm displaced over 120,000 people, caused more than $2 billion in damage, and spurred the California Department of Water Resources to revamp flood-risk management. This week a jet-stream dip draws Hawaiian moisture into the Southwest, reviving flash-flood risks reminiscent of 1997.

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