Tucson sunset behind at Saguaro cactus on July 15, 2020.

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch in the Tucson Metro Area from Thursday morning to Friday evening. 

The flash flood watch includes southeast Pinal County, the Catalina and Rincon mountains, Marana, Vail, Mount Lemmon, Summerhaven, Tucson, Mammoth, Oracle and Green Valley. 

The watch — which is a step below a more dangerous flash flood warning — is for the Bighorn Fire burn scar, the National Weather Service said. 

Meteorologists are forecasting heavy rainfall over the burn scar up to and during the flood watch, which can lead to flash flooding and debris flows. 

Wildfires such as the Bighorn Fire north of Tucson leave the ground charred and unable to absorb water, which can increase flood risks. “Even a light rain can produce devastating flash floods and mudflows, often with little warning,” Pima County officials warned. In this July 2020 video, a debris flow oozes down the Cañada del Oro Wash.


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Contact reporter Stephanie Casanova at scasanova@tucson.com. On Twitter: @CasanovaReports