Remembering The Deadly 1970 Labor Day Storm In Arizona

Usually Labor Day is a normal & calm day but many years ago, one of the craziest events during Labor Day weekend happened in the state of Arizona. 1970 was a year where not only Arizona got one of the largest amount of rainfall in its history but it was one of the deadliest storms in the entire state's history.

1970 is when Arizona experienced Tropical Storm Norma

It was a Friday when Arizona saw the leftover rainfall from Tropical Storm Norma; a cyclone that would form on the West Coast of Mexico On August 30th and work its way west. On September 4th, the storm would reach Arizona, bringing massive amounts of rain that would result in large flooding.

From September 4th to the 5th, many areas in Central Arizona would would be affected; nearly 12 inches of rain would hit Workman Creek, 9.09 at Upper Parker Creek, 8.44 at Sunflower, among many others. The flooding that resulted from the rain would ultimately claim 23 lives, most of them in Tonto Creek...

There have been several other deadly storms that have hit Arizona, but the flooding that spawned from Tropical Storm Norma is still considered the worst storm to hit Arizona.

Some other hurricanes that would hit Arizona was the 1972 Hurricane Joanne, Hurricane Kathleen in 1976 & Hurricane Nora in 1997.

Thankfully Arizona hasn't seen anything this deadly on Labor Day weekend & hopefully it stays that way. However this isn't the only time Arizona has seen some intense winds; believe it or not, they have seen their share of tornadoes too.

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