Congressman forced to flee flooding on a trip to assess flooding

Arizona Congressman Tom O'Halleran was in Flagstaff on Wednesday to see areas that have been hit hard by recent flooding.

The congressman, a local flood manager, and a group of federal officials were driving around areas that have borne the brunt of the floods when a storm hit and the group had to look for higher ground, the Arizona Republic reports As they drove, waters rolled down the road with them as they avoided getting stuck in the oncoming waters, the paper says "They got to experience it," Lucinda Andreani, the local flood manager told the Republic.

Flooding dangers from wildfire burn scars can last for years.

A water line in the city has also been damaged by flooding from the Pipeline Fire burn scar, according to the Arizona Daily Sun.

The southwest's rainy season usually lasts between mid-June and mid-September and can often bring flash floods to the area's low-lying areas, especially in canyons.

In Flagstaff, NWS has warned that storms and flash floods could continue into next week, with possible rainfall coming at one or two inches per hour.

In a warmer climate, storms will dump a lot more water over an area in a short period of time - leading to a much higher risk of flash flooding, a recent paper found