Environment

The Hassayampa River that flows through town is an underground river (normally), but today as we drove down to the Valley and back, Damsel captured several images of water flowing above the river bed. There was rain in the mountains where the Hassayampa originates and a lot of water was going through today.

The first image in the slideshow above is the river flowing under the pedestrian bridge that used to be US 60 before the new bridge and bypass were built. The second image is of the BNSF railroad bridge over the river near the point where the river departs company with US 60 as it flows toward the confluence with the Gila River. Damsel took the third image just as we had our last glimpse of the river from the highway. The fourth and fifth images were taken as we were coming back into town with the camera pointed northeast toward the headwaters. Click on the slideshow to advance to the next frame (of five total).

This morning, we were awakened to the sounds of booming thunderclaps and moderately heavy rainfall on the roof. Yesterday, The National Weather Service forecast for an eighty percent probability of thunderstorms with the usual flash flood warnings.

Damsel checked the Wickenburg P.D. Facebook site and saw that Sols Wash (a major feed into the Hassayampa River) had flooded Vulture Mine Road, about a mile from our little house. While walking the dogs, I checked for erosion and damage from the little wash that flows along the road in front of the house and found only minor indications of water flow.

In the past, we have seen heavy flooding of the little wash and water flowing rapidly enough to generate whitewater and rooster tails over submerged objects. It’s quite a sight when that happens and usually causes erosion along the front of our landscape.

The forecast is for more thunderstorms tonight and through Monday. We’re battened down here and expect to be safe. The red circle in the image above shows our approximate location.