Rains pound Tucson, Ariz., flooding streets and possibly causing 1 death in rushing river

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) _ Heavy rains pounded the Tucson area on Thursday, flooding numerous streets and strangling traffic. <br/><br/>A man's body washed up from a river, and officials said he may have

Thursday, September 7th 2006, 10:08 pm

By: News On 6

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) _ Heavy rains pounded the Tucson area on Thursday, flooding numerous streets and strangling traffic.

A man's body washed up from a river, and officials said he may have fallen into rushing water upstream.

A record 1.14 inches of rain was reported at Tucson International Airport, and up to 2 inches of rain fell in other parts of the area before 7 a.m. The rains stopped mid- to late-morning and remained cloudy the rest of the day.

Forecasters anticipated more rain and thunderstorms through the weekend, before the region begins to dry out early next week.

Through Thursday morning, 9.83 inches of rain was recorded in Tucson since monsoonal rains began June 15, the eighth-highest total rainfall ever, said Jim Meyer, a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tucson.

The record of 13.84 inches was recorded in 1964.

Authorities also reported numerous collisions and stranded vehicles.

The body washed up from the Santa Cruz River on the city's northwest side, after a man was reported to have fallen into a south-side wash.

Witnesses reported that the man was floating downstream face down after possibly hitting his head in the water, Fire Capt. Paul McDonough said.