Pinal Creek Floods blog explained

(UPDATE as of July 30, 2023:  We began this blog in early July 2021. We wished to discuss historic Pinal Creek floods.  We also wished to highlight the urgent need for early warning about potential floods pouring forth from The Telegraph Fire burned area. 

There was scant interest in this blog. In fact, the blog received less than 50 views so we stopped updating it about two years ago.  As of July 30, 2023, we felt it is important to revisit the information contained in the original blog.  Residents of Globe and the surrounding areas really need to be fully aware of Pinal Creek's ever-present potential for epic monsoon season flooding.  This blog could well become an annual reminder of such flooding potential.

While most monsoon rain events are benign, some such storms carry deadly consequences.  It is vitally important for residents and public safety officials to be always aware of what "might" happen with any given monsoon event in Pinal Creek's course through Globe and adjacent areas.

The narrative below the dashed line was written in early July 2021.)

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The Telegraph Fire was a "game changer" for Pinal Creek Floods.  The fierce fire forged immediate and lasting changes to the Pinal Creek's Watershed in and near the Pinal Mountains.  It is very possible those profound changes will cause more frequent flooding as well as higher flood flow volume in Pinal Creek through Globe and vicinity.

This blog was created July 6th, 2021, to help leaders, residents and visitors understand Pinal Creek's flood history and watershed characteristics.

In this blog we will address numerous topics, including the infamous August 17, 1904 Flood.  Then we will discuss the July 29, 1954, Pinal Creek flood.  Because it's closely related in time and place, we will also cover the July 20, 1954, flood that hit Miami, Arizona, via Bloody Tanks Wash.  

We will cover high flow events in Pinal Creek from 1981-2015 before describing in detail the four July 4, 2021, Pinal Creek flood flow events through Globe.

The blog will also attempt to address the scope and scale of potential fluvial impacts brought about by the Telegraph Fire and discuss why we think that fire has forever changed the fluvial flood response of Pinal Creek.

Lastly, we will provide recommendations for an emergency monitoring and warning system to help Globe and Gila Country citizens stay safe during times of future flood peril.

In a nutshell on this blog, we will help readers understand why we think portions of Globe, Arizona, are at their highest risk of catastrophic flooding since Anglo settlement began in the 1870's.

Potential Pinal Creek Flooding a serious situation that requires recognition and response from officials at all levels as well as potentially affected residents and businesses throughout the new (and as yet unknown) flood channel of Pinal Creek.

That's what this blog is all about.  It has a very narrow focus.  It's ONLY about Pinal Creek Floods and related topics.

This blog is a "work-in-progress."  We will be adding new content and editing old content regularly in the days and weeks ahead.

This strictly non-commercial blog was created and is maintained by John Parsons.  The blog has no connection whatsoever in any form with any public safety agency, municipal, county, state or federal entity and has not been endorsed by any officials at any level.  The narratives and opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of author/editor John Parsons. You may contact him at: arizonahistorystories@gmail.com

Thank You for reading.

About our over photo:
Pinal Creek runs big in 1890, probably during monsoons. Note spectators on bridge. 
Source: https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/digital/collection/histphotos/id/10334/rec/1

August 17, 1904 Flood

Pinal Creek's biggest flood in recorded history took place in late afternoon Wednesday, August 17, 1904. Six people were killed and substantial, widespread structural damage was sustained. Fifty years after the flood, USGS field hydrologists estimated Pinal Creek's flow through Globe in the 1904 Flood was approx. 13,200 cubic feet per second.

As chance would have it, "The Arizona Silver Belt" (ASB) newspaper was due to publish its weekly edition the very next day after The 1904 Flood.  Luckily the ASB's printing facility was not damaged by the floodwaters.  The Editor described the six fatalities in often heart-wrenching narrative and then wrote at length about searches for the bodies.  Much detail was included about the extent of the high flow and the damage and dollar value of the resulting destruction.

Rather than attempt to summarize the article, we prefer to provide two links so you can read the full coverage and draw your own conclusions about the chaos and mayhem that Pinal Creek brought down upon Globe that fateful day.

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80926876/globe-august-1904-flood/

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80927170/globe-august-1904-flood-part-two/

"The rain began to fall about 5:30 p. m. in a gentle shower, which in a few minutes increased to a veritable cloud burst. The water fell in sheets and continued without any abatement for three-quarters of an hour. Within fifteen of twenty minutes Pinal creek commenced to rise, and fed by streams from all the converging gulches, it was soon swelled to dangerous proportions. About 6 o’clock the water reached its highest point, and within a few minutes had destroyed thousands of dollars worth of property." 

In an amazing, uncanny coincidence, the famous Sanborn Map Company produced a pre-flood fire insurance map of Globe only a few days before the flood hit.  We used details from the ASB coverage and matched them to the map above to produce an approximate depiction of the spread of Pinal Creek's flow.

The red arrow points to the foot bridge across Pinal Creek.  It was 12 feet above the dry channel level (DCL).  The bridge was quickly destroyed and swept away.  The red line denotes the approx. extent of water to a depth of three feet.  The blue line denotes water generally in the 1-2 foot depth.

Source of the August 1904 Sanborn Fire Maps is here:
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4334gm.g001541904/?st=gallery

NOTE: We will be adding additional information to this page soon.

Below are the pages from the USGS Annual 1904 summary of  all national floods.

The USGS Globe narrative begins on Page 118 from this source:
https://pubs.usgs.gov/wsp/0147/report.pdf

July 29, 1954 Globe Flood

 The first few paragraphs of this front page story stated: "GLOBE-Sixshooter Canyon aimed a cloudburst at the heart of Globe last night and scored a devastating bullseye. Merchants estimated a $1 million damage, centered in a three block area of North Broad Street. There was no reported injuries. Torrents of water from the hour's deluge of an estimated 3 inches in town and on the Pinal Mountain watershed southeast of town shot into the business sec- tion about 7 p.m. Floodwaters, six feet deep in spots, wrecked store after store, buckled streets, stacked mud and debris deep in the low spots, and isolated sections for 5 hours. Globe officials declared a state of emergency and called in help from all over the state. GOVERNOR PYLE sent in the national guard to work alongside the highway patrol, civil defense volunteers, and city and county officials to preserve order and guard against looting in the torn businesses. Most of the residential areas missed the heaviest blows although homes in South Globe suffered some from the flooding. Oldtimers compared the storm and flooding with the Globe flood of Aug. 17, 1904."

Source: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80981190/july-29-1954-globe-flood/

The U.S. Geological Survey analyzed the flood in their annual report of 1954 Floods:

"Heavy rains south of Globe and 1.1 inches in Globe caused a flash flood in Pinal Creek near Globe on the evening of July 29. The creek which flows through the lower part of the business district overflowed its banks and water rose to a depth of several feet in some of the buildings. The Weather Bureau reported 25 business establishments in 2 city blocks severaly damaged and 126 families suffered losses. Total damages were estimated at $1 million.

A slope-area measurement showed a peak discharge of 8,130 cfs from 34.4 square miles. A greater flood occurred August 17, 1904. Computation of a simple slope-area measurement showed the discharge to have been 13,200 cfs from a drainage area of 33.4 square miles."

Source: Page 238 https://pubs.usgs.gov/wsp/1370c/report.pdf

Ironically, there was a major flood in Miami only a few days before the Globe 1954 flood.  The Miami flood took place on July 20.  The USGS estimate the Miami flood flow a little less than 3,000 cubic per second.  Note that the Arizona Republic misidentifies Bloody Tanks Wash as Queen Creek.

Source: https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic-july-20-1954-flood/80908022/

Onlookers warned of Pinal Creek flood risks

(UPDATE as of July 30, 2023: This post was originally posted on July 7, 2021.  It was moved to the bottom end of the blog posts for the sake of continuity.)

he Globe Police Department (GPD) issued this Public Service Announcement the morning of July 7, 2021, regarding careless viewing of the July 4th Pinal Creek flow events. GPD "tells it like it is" and warns "When hundreds of curious people flock to the areas adjacent to the waterways...it puts those in attendance at risk of injury and even death."

Source: https://www.facebook.com/cityofglobe/posts/1430284320652817

Over the Fourth of July weekend, the annual monsoon season began throughout Arizona. These storms and all that follow for the next couple of years will directly impact our communities in the Copper Corridor region.

The 2021 monsoon season and any significant rain event that follows has a very real potential to be life-threatening and disastrous in our region due to the aftereffects and burn scar left in the wake of the Telegraph Fire that consumed over 180,000 acres of vegetation and forest.

The recent storms were a relatively small, isolated rain event in the grand scheme of potential rainfall probabilities. The majority of this rain event occurred in the Pinal Mountains, with very little rainfall in the downtown area. However, our waterways rapidly filled with swift running black water and debris. This event was unusual and likely a bizarre phenomenon for most. Some 15 homes, water crossings, bridges, and culverts sustained damage to varying degrees.

Curiosity of this unusual event had hundreds of people come out to witness the creeks running at capacity with some overflow. Motorists could be seen stopping on bridges and at water crossings to videotape the event, likely to share footage on social media.

Countless pedestrians stood on hundred-year-old bridges that were nearly overflowing while others stood at the banks of Pinal Creek, which was near or at capacity.

The City of Globe and our neighboring community leaders are pleading with everyone to be smart and seek higher ground when alerts of rain and imminent flooding are sounded. This past rain event was but a small sample of what might be coming, and our first concern, as always, is the safety of everyone in our communities.

When hundreds of curious people flock to the areas adjacent to the waterways, this makes movement of police, fire, and public works vehicles and heavy equipment difficult to maneuver, and it hinders their ability to do their jobs. It puts those in attendance at risk of injury and even death.