HURRICANE RACHEL FLOODS ARIZONA — Echoes of the 1970 Deadly Disaster, Rivers Overflowing (Latest)

Arizona and Texas faced a week of dangerous flooding in October 2026 as moisture from two Pacific storm systems triggered intense rainfall across normally dry landscapes. In Arizona, floodwaters swept away a Jeep near Mohave Wash, stranded drivers near Topock, and trapped 65 campers at Cave Springs Campground near Sedona. In West Texas, a powerful microburst dropped a building into an Odessa street, a tornado damaged Fort Stockton, and life-threatening flash flooding struck Midland. The storms were fueled by the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel and moisture from Hurricane Simon, which combined with other weather systems to produce repeated rounds of heavy rain. Across the Rolling Plains, some locations recorded more than five inches in 24 hours, while the Middle Wichita River near Guthrie rose over ten feet and broke its previous record by more than two feet. The immediate rainfall eased, but dangerous floodwaters continued moving downstream toward communities, roads, campsites, farmland and oil and gas facilities. In this video, we follow the Arizona rescues, the severe storms across Odessa and Fort Stockton, and the flash flooding that overwhelmed Midland. We also track rising rivers from the Pease River near Vernon to the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park, where several waterways were forecast to reach historic or near-record levels. Confirmed casualty and missing-person figures are pinned in the comments and updated as official numbers change. Global Weather covers natural disasters and extreme weather events as they develop, using sourced reporting and avoiding unsupported speculation. CHAPTERS 00:20 — Arizona and Texas Face Dangerous Flooding 01:13 — Rising Rivers and High Winds Threaten Both States 02:07 — Tropical Storm Rachel and Hurricane Simon 03:01 — Arizona Flooding Begins Near Lake Havasu 03:55 — Jeep Swept Away in Mohave Wash 04:50 — Helicopter Rescues Five People 05:44 — Drivers Stranded Near Topock 06:39 — 65 Campers Trapped Near Sedona 07:33 — Texas Activates Emergency Resources 08:28 — Microburst Drops Building Into Odessa Street 09:21 — Tornado Damages Fort Stockton 10:15 — Repeated Storms Trigger Widespread Flooding 11:07 — Midland Flash Flooding Turns Life-Threatening 12:00 — Floodwaters Rush Into Draws Near Snyder 12:55 — Middle Wichita River Breaks Its Record 13:49 — Why Tropical Moisture Fuels Dangerous Floods 14:43 — Rio Grande Threatens Big Bend National Park 15:37 — Pease River Approaches a Historic Crest 16:31 — Arizona Faces New Wind and Rain Threats SOURCES - National Weather Service — Tucson - National Weather Service — Midland - National Weather Service — Lubbock - National Hurricane Center - Arizona Department of Public Safety - Coconino County Sheriff’s Office - Office of the Texas Governor - Texas A&M Forest Service #ArizonaFlooding #TexasFlooding #FlashFloods #TropicalStormRachel #HurricaneSimon #MidlandTexas #OdessaTexas #FortStockton #LakeHavasuCity #BigBendNationalPark #RioGrande #MiddleWichitaRiver #SevereWeather #GlobalWeather