Kentucky mother dies in Arizona canyon flash flood while hiking with family

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel: This was another sad and completely unavoidable death in our canyons. We are in monsoon season where in 15 minutes the rainwater from a storm 10 miles away (and dropping rain at the rate of 1"-2" an hour) is already in the washes outside your door and it will keep getting higher, faster and more debris filled in a matter of minutes. Inside those canyons with the high walls, they can't see the rain shafts that are hitting 10 miles away, so they are completely unaware of the impending flash floods. However, there had been ample weather alerts for flash flood warnings (not watches, actual warning alerts) throughout that entire region. As well as ample warnings about how saturated our ground is from heavy rainfall this July. Our state is full of beautiful hiking areas but you have to be aware of all of the dangers, which this time of year is flash flooding.

RIP