THE WEATHER BEAT · OCT 31

Dam-release flood warnings on the Salt River at Tempe and near Fort McDowell run through Monday morning

NWS Phoenix has two Maricopa County Flood Warnings tied to upstream dam releases, valid until Monday morning, while Louisiana saw flash flood warnings.

By the Weather Rock October 31, 2026, 7:16 p.m. · 4 min read

GOES satellite view of the event region — GOES view of central Arizona on Saturday afternoon, October 31, over the area under the Maricopa County Flood Warnings. Image: NOAA GOES-West GeoColor via NASA GIBS, 2026-10-31 22:00Z.

Key points

NWS Phoenix has two Flood Warnings for Maricopa County that run until Monday morning. One is for flooding on the Salt River from an upstream dam release, with Granite Reef Dam and Tempe Marketplace named. The other is for flooding near Rio Verde and Fort McDowell tied to releases from Bartlett Dam.
Both Phoenix products say the flooding comes from water released upstream, and the second one adds that streams are still rising from runoff after earlier rain.
Saturday evening NWS New Orleans also warned of flash flooding in Jefferson Parish, where the product names Metairie, and in Washington Parish, Louisiana. Radar-indicated rain totals of 2 to 4 inches and 2 to 3 inches are in the products.

Saturday's Southwest flood story has a second chapter in the Phoenix area. The warning that matters now is not a rain warning at all. It is a release-of-water warning.

NWS Phoenix issued a Flood Warning at 3:52 p.m. MST Saturday for Maricopa County, valid until 7:45 a.m. MST Monday. The product says flooding from an upstream dam release is expected and that flooding is occurring along the Salt River. It names Granite Reef Dam and Tempe Marketplace among the places that will be affected. It warns that low-water crossings are inundated and may not be passable.

An earlier Phoenix warning at 2:41 p.m. MST, valid until 8:00 a.m. MST Monday, covers the Rio Verde and Fort McDowell area. It cites gauge reports of heavy rain and releases upstream from Bartlett Dam, says flooding is already occurring, and says streams continue to rise from runoff after earlier rainfall.

Product (Saturday, Oct 31)	Office	Where	What it says
Flood Warning, 3:52 p.m. MST	Phoenix	Salt River, Maricopa County	Upstream floodgate release; Granite Reef Dam and Tempe Marketplace named; until 7:45 a.m. MST Monday
Flood Warning, 2:41 p.m. MST	Phoenix	Rio Verde and Fort McDowell, Maricopa County	Releases upstream from Bartlett Dam; flooding already occurring; until 8:00 a.m. MST Monday
Flash Flood Warning, 5:57 p.m. CDT	New Orleans	Jefferson Parish, including Metairie	Radar shows 2 to 4 inches fallen; until 9:00 p.m. CDT
Flash Flood Warning, 6:05 p.m. CDT	New Orleans	Washington Parish	Radar shows 2 to 3 inches fallen; until 9:00 p.m. CDT

*Source: NWS Flood Warning and Flash Flood Warning products, issued October 31, 2026. Amounts and times are those in the products.*

The afternoon Beat story covered the flood watches over the Four Corners and the San Juan River forecast at Pagosa Springs. These Phoenix warnings are separate products. They came after the earlier short-fuse Salt River warning in that story had run its course, and they run through Monday.

In southeastern Louisiana, the New Orleans office said thunderstorms were producing heavy rain over north central Jefferson Parish, with flash flooding of urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses. In Washington Parish it described flash flooding of small creeks, streams and highways in mainly rural areas. Both warnings were set to expire at 9:00 p.m. CDT, so check weather.gov for what follows.

A reader can test this story against Monday morning: did the Salt River and Rio Verde warnings end on schedule, or did Phoenix extend them past 7:45 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. MST?

A watch means conditions are right for flooding, and a warning means it is happening or forecast. The Weather School lesson on watches, warnings and advisories goes through the difference. This is a summary of official warnings, not emergency information. For live warnings see weather.gov and your local officials.

The rock's live forecast for the places in this story