Flood release at Horseshoe Dam, Arizona

January 8, 1993 | Horseshoe Dam, Verde River | Arizona experienced the wettest winter of the 20^th century in 1992-1993. Rain and snow began to fall in December, 1992. A major influx of subtropical moisture in early January resulted in copious rainfall in the high country north and east of Phoenix, which in turn generated the largest floods of the 20^th century on the Salt and Verde rivers on January 8. This aerial photo of Horseshoe Dam (courtesy of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation) was taken near the peak release of about 110,000 cubic feet of water per second. Floods continued to occur on these rivers and all of the other major river systems through the remainder of January and most of the way through February.