Monsoon floods the roadways

More rain expected over Labor Day weekend

A monsoon downpour brought more than two inches of rain to the Southern Arizona area Wednesday night, turning many Sahuarita roadways into obstacle courses of mud and debris.

The National Weather Service in Tucson says Green Valley got less than half-an-inch of rain, but KGVY Radio reports its rain gauge collected 2.01 inches in a 45-minute time period that evening.

The Santa Cruz River definitely looked navigable as its waters rose, and many low roadways and dry arroyos transformed into rushing streams, creating havoc for drivers trying to find their way home in the storm.

Around 5 p.m., four motorists were trapped in a flooded wash near the 1700 block of South La Villita Rd. in Sahuarita.

A mother and her two children had to be rescued by Rural/Metro and Green Valley firefighters as their sedan began to fill with water. A man driving a pickup truck was also trapped by the waters, said spokespersons from both fire departments.

The firefighters are part of a swift-water rescue crew that trained in Phoenix this summer at the Salt River. It took them about an hour to conduct the rescue, as they waded into the water with poles to reach the trapped motorists.

Sahuarita Road west of La Canada Drive was closed Thursday after swift-moving waters tore up the asphalt and almost toppled a telephone pole. Tucson Electric Power workers were securing the pole, which began leaning precariously after waters washed away the soil around its base.

KGVY radio, located between Duval Mine and Sahuarita Rds. off La Canada, says Green Valley has received at total of 7.61 inches of rain since June 25.

More rain is forecast through the Labor Day weekend.

jrichardson@gvnews | 547-9726