The flash flood threat in the Plains has increased as the region faces rounds of heavy rain and thunderstorms on Wednesday. FOX Weather Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen has the latest on Aug. 27, 2025.
Monsoon season is in full swing, with areas of the Southwest seeing torrential rain and flooding, as well as a towering haboob that plunged cities in Arizona, like Phoenix, into darkness.
And now, as abundant moisture continues to surge across the western and central U.S., concerns are growing that more areas could see flooding, as well as the potential for wildfire ignitions in the West.
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The FOX Forecast Center said that more than a dozen states across the West and central U.S. are under some type of flash flood threat this week.
By Thursday, Southern California and Arizona will get a temporary blast of extra moisture, but not from the monsoon – it’s from what’s left from Tropical Storm Juliette swirling in the Eastern Pacific.
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The rainfall will be beneficial for many major cities across the West. In fact, the FOX Forecast Center says more than 25 cities in the Southwest are seeing one of their top-five driest years on record.
The entire state of Arizona, for example, is under some sort of drought. And thunderstorms that slammed the region earlier this week haven’t done much to bring relief.
Phoenix saw its second-wettest day of 2025 on Monday, but it’s still experiencing its 10th-driest start to any year.
Time-lapse video shows haboob blasting through Phoenix Monday.
Tucson, Arizona, is experiencing its third-driest year-to-date.
Both cities’ records date back to 1895.
Farther east in the Plains and Rockies, higher rainfall totals are likely as the workweek continues, with widespread rainfall totals of 3-5 inches, with locally higher amounts possible.
That area has already seen plenty of rain so far this year. And with soils already saturated, training thunderstorms could significantly heighten the flash flood risk.
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NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center (WPC) placed portions of the Rockies and Plains in a Level 2 out of 4 flash flood risk on Wednesday, while Idaho in the Northwest is also under a Level 2 out of 4 threat.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the WPC placed portions of Kansas, Missouri and Oklahola in a Level 3 out of 4 flash flood threat.
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And in addition to the flood potential, concerns are growing that storms could ignite wildfires.
According to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC), thunderstorms that fire up in the region could produce cloud-to-ground lightning, and that could cause trouble.
This graphic shows the dry thunderstorm outlook in the Northwest on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025.
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The SPC said the storms pose a risk of lightning-induced wildfire ignitions and strong winds across portions of Washington state and into the Idaho Panhandle and far northwestern Montana, given dry fuels across the region.
Farther south, a mix of wet and dry thunderstorms are expected in portions of Oregon and Northern California, where some wildfires are already raging.
