PHOENIX (CBS5) -
Parts of Maricopa County were gripped by flood warnings and advisories late Saturday afternoon into early evening.
A flood advisory was issued for the cities of Wittmann, Wickenburg and Circle City.
Thunderstorms with heavy rain developed in and around the Wickenburg area and just north of Wittmann and Circle City.
The atmosphere was very humid and any storm was capable of producing wash flooding or the flooding of city streets.
Flash flood warnings gripped parts of Maricopa County late Saturday.
A warning that was posted for north central Maricopa County was allowed to expire at 6:30 p.m.
Around 5 p.m., thunderstorms with heavy rain developed over and near the western shores of Lake Pleasant and moved slowly south at 5 mph. The air mass was extremely humid and forecasters warned any rainfall from the storms would likely cause flooding of normally dry washes and roadways.
The road to Castle Hot Springs was especially vulnerable to flooding.
Earlier, thunderstorms with heavy rain generally weakened and moved west of the Sunflower burn area. Very heavy rain fell over the burn area and its tributaries feeding into the mainstream Sycamore Creek.
One river gage along the Sycamore Wash just outside the burn area recorded a wall of water and flooding 4 to 5 feet deep, flowing downstream toward the small ranches along Sycamore Creek and toward the town of Sunflower.
Although rainfall had diminished, forecasters said it will take several hours for water to work its way downstream in the Sycamore Wash, making flash flooding likely through 5 p.m.
With plenty of monsoonal moisture in place, the Greater Phoenix will continue to see the chance for a few showers or thunderstorms.
Because individual storms will be slow-movers, locally heavy rain is possible wherever these storms set up.
Overall rain chances look to be a little better on Saturday than on Sunday.
Highs will run a little below the normal of 104 degrees through the weekend.
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Photo courtesy of Matthew DeYoung
Courtesy of Susan Laplante
