AI Summary
5 min readThe Grand Canyon flash flood that killed at least one person and left others missing over Labor Day weekend was not a single cloudburst but a cascade of four separate rain events over six hours, each one priming the terrain for the disaster that followed. ABC meteorologist Kenton Gueckey explained that the first three rounds of rain, starting at 8:45 a.m., were light. They saturated the soil and got the creeks running higher, but nothing seemed dangerous. Then the fourth round hit at 2:30 p.m.—an inch of rain in 30 minutes over steep, desert terrain that could no longer absorb any more water. The runoff also flowed over the scar of the Dragon Fire, which had burned 150,000 acres a year earlier, creating a hydrophobic surface that sent water racing downhill. A 15-foot wall of water tore through campgrounds and Phantom Ranch, washing away bridges that had stood for decades. “If we had been on the bridge at that time, we would have been knocked into the water,” one witness said. The water carried bunkhouses, refrigerators, and entire cabins down the Colorado River.
Why this flood was different
Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.
Read Full Summary →Free • No credit card required
Never miss an episode of Start Here
Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
What you'll learn
- 1 (00:30) **Episode Open & Grand Canyon Flood Overview** - Devin Dwyer introduces the three main stories for the episode, starting with the catastrophic flash flood in the Grand Canyon.
- 2 (02:55) **Meteorologist Explains the Four Rounds of Rain** - ABC meteorologist Kenton Gueckey details the precise sequence of rain events that caused the flood.
- 3 (04:23) **Why This Flood Was So Extreme** - Gueckey explains the unique combination of factors that made this event rare and severe.
- 4 (06:55) **Will the Flood Help Arizona's Drought?** - Gueckey explains why this sudden deluge will not alleviate the region's long-term drought.
- 5 (10:33) **Six Months of War with Iran: An Economic Fight** - Devin introduces the second major story, noting the shift from active military strikes to an economic battle.
- 6 (11:54) **The New "Tit for Tat" and the Economic Battle** - ABC contributor Steve Ganyard analyzes the recent, lower-level exchange of fire and the shift in strategy.
- 7 (14:41) **The Status of the Strait of Hormuz** - Ganyard scrutinizes the administration's claims about controlling the critical oil passageway.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Dozens rescued from Grand Canyon flooding. The US marks 6 months of war with Iran. And Trump asks the Supreme Court to allow firing of transgender military service members.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from this podcast
Start Here →