Disasters · Verde River floodingMaricopa Verde River flood: Lower flows, but warning continues through WednesdayAired November 4, 2026 at 4:07 PM UTCWritten November 4, 2026 at 4:21 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:07Dam releases keep the Verde River flooding even as flows fall.0:11Rio Verde and Fort McDowell remain in the warned area, and river recreation remains0:17unsafe.0:17On November1, we reported continuing flooding, with the warning ending the next0:23morning.0:23By Wednesday morning, the warning runs through this afternoon Mountain Standard0:29Time.0:29What do the lower readings mean for people using the river and its crossings?0:33The flooding follows the river from Bartlett Lake toward the Salt River in Maricopa0:38County, Arizona.0:38Rio Verde and Fort McDowell are the named communities exposed to flooding along that0:43corridor.0:44Low-lying and flood-prone places remain at risk.0:47Forecasters say upstream dam releases continue to cause flooding.0:52Wednesday morning's warning puts flow below Bartlett Dam at about thirteen thousand0:56cubic feet per second.0:58That's the volume passing the gauge each second.1:01A later gauge reading gives a slightly higher figure.1:05Taken at a different time.1:06The later reading is thirteen thousand five hundred cubic feet per second.1:10Monday's warnings described around sixty thousand.1:13That's substantially less water moving downstream now, but the active warning still1:18describes flooding.1:20The smaller difference between Wednesday's readings doesn't show a sustained renewed1:24rise.1:25Monday morning, November Sioux forecasters described water above twenty-four feet1:30and flow around sixty thousand cubic feet per second.1:34They extended the warning into Tuesday morning.1:36Monday night's warning described water above twenty-five feet.1:40Again, with flow around sixty thousand.1:43That bulletin pushed the deadline to Wednesday afternoon.1:46Those were separate morning and evening observations.1:49Dam operators increased releases to make room for storm runoff and protect dam1:54and public safety.1:56SRP described about fifty-four thousand cubic feet per second, combined from2:01Bartlett and Stuart Mountain Dams.2:03That combined figure covers two dams on different rivers.2:06Earlier warnings blamed both excessive rainfall runoff and dam releases.2:11The latest warning emphasizes continuing releases without putting a share on each2:16cause.2:17By Tuesday evening, forecasters described water just under eighteen feet below2:22Bartlett Dam, with flow around seventeen thousand cubic feet per second.2:27Wednesday's readings were lower again.2:29Sunday evening's warning put flow around twenty-nine thousand cubic feet per second.2:34The gauge's archived reading one minute earlier was fifty-three thousand three2:39hundred, with water at twenty-four point one eight feet.2:42The height fits the warnings above twenty-four foot description.2:46The flow figures haven't been reconciled.2:48The below Bartlett Gauge also sits at a different location from the one in our2:52earlier broadcast.2:54That November one morning observation was near the river's meeting with the Salt2:58River.2:59It gave a height of seven point nine eight feet and flow of three thousand four3:04hundred twenty cubic feet per second.3:06Joining those readings would create a false picture of change at one station.3:10The below Bartlett gauge recorded fifty-three thousand five hundred, then3:14fifty-three thousand three hundred, then fifty-two thousand nine hundred cubic feet3:19per second over fifteen minutes Sunday evening.3:22That's a small decline within that interval.3:25These observations are provisional and can be revised.3:29A gauge's water height uses its own local reference level.3:33Different stations can use different references, so their heights aren't directly3:37interchangeable.3:39Flow measures how much water passes the station.3:42It doesn't automatically measure the dam's release rate.3:45The rounded figures in later warnings also don't pinpoint the flood's exact peak.3:50The latest warning still describes flooding as imminent or occurring.3:54A lower gauge reading alone can't tell a driver whether a crossing is safe, or a4:00family whether river access is safe.4:03The scheduled expiration doesn't predict when those conditions will change.4:07The warning gives no crossing by crossing closure or reopening list.4:11Whether it will be extended beyond Wednesday afternoon is still unresolved.4:16Rio Verde and Fort McDowell remain named places at risk.4:19Without that, meaning either community is flooded everywhere.4:23Drivers should turn around at flood water and stay off flooded roads.4:27Campers and hikers should avoid streams and creeks.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSRelated coverageBackgroundNov 4 11:27 UTCBig Sandy flood warning ends, but that is not a road-safety all-clearBackgroundOct 31 19:33 UTCPhoenix flood rescues show why the 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