Hurricane Norbert, the fifteenth named storm and tenth hurricanethis year, brought flooding rains along the U.S. Pacific coast andMexico, killing at least five with the storm's heavy rainfall andstrong, gusty winds.

The storm was first named Tropical Storm Norbert on Sept. 2, butafter gaining strength as it moved northwest toward Baja CaliforniaSur, it gained hurricane status on Sept. 5. On Sept. 6, the stormreached its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph,becoming a Category 3.

While the storm gradually weakened, becoming post-tropical onSept. 8, it still reached tropical storm-strength winds of 40 mphand brought torrential rain to parts of western Mexico, includingthe Baja Peninsula from Thursday to Saturday. Rainfalls measured2.60 inches over a 48-hour stretch at Loreto, while Colonia JuanCarras reported 10.52 inches from a 72-hour stretch ending onSaturday.

The storm also caused three fatalities in Mexico afterindividuals were swept away by swollen creeks and streams from theheavy rainfalls. A total of 2,500 people were evacuated fromcoastal communities in Mexico as the storm's outer rain bandslashed the Baja Peninsula.

Puerto San Carlos experienced the most storm damage, as leveesdesigned to protect the village failed and flooding ensued.Officials estimate that the water was 3 feet in some areas, andapproximately 2,500 properties in the village were damaged.

Beyond Mexico, moisture from the system combined with remnantsof Tropical Storm Dolly, as well as the southwest monsoon,generating record-setting rains throughout the United States'Southwest region.

The most substantial damage was recorded in Arizona, whereofficials deemed the floods as some of the worst since 1970.Phoenix was among one of the hardest-hit cities in Arizona, where3.29 inches of rain fell in just seven hours on Monday, the mostrain the city has ever registered in a 24-hour period since 1911,and represented more than the combined rainfall total for all ofJune, July and August. The National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration (NOAA) estimates that the amount of rain inPhoenix equaled a one-in-200 year rainfall event, and roughly oneout of three rain gauges in Maricopa County set all-time rainfallrecords on Monday.

In the Phoenix area, the storm left hundreds of propertiesdamaged, 10,000 customers without electricity and strandedmotorists on many of the area's roads and highways. Elsewhere inArizona, Tucson, Mesa and Chandler noted widespread flood damage,as water levels reached depths of 15 feet in some locations.

Based on NOAA estimates, the rains in Chandler equaled aone-in-1,000 year rainfall event and roughly a once-in500-to-1,000-year rainfall event in Mesa.

A state of emergency was declared in Arizona, but themonsoonal rains also impacted parts of Nevada and California. LasVegas cited significant flash flooding, recording nearly fourinches of rain. The downpour led to some of the worst flooding inMoapa Valley since 1981, as a 50-mile stretch of Interstate 15 wasclosed, and 190 residents from the Moapa Band of PaiutesReservation were evacuated from their homes. Thirty homes weredamaged in the town of Overton, and a state of emergency wassubsequently declared for Clark County.

In Southern California, flash floods left nearly 300 motoristsstranded along California State Route 74 on Sunday.

Preliminary damage reports from local officials in the U.S. andMexico estimate total economic losses to exceed $100 million(USD).

The U.S. and Mexico were not the only places affected by heavyrainfall this week. Parts of southern Europe were also hit bysevere thunderstorms, causing floods that were enhanced by recentperiods of heavy rainfall. At least four people were killed inItalyand Bulgaria.

In Asia, extensive monsoonal rains led to continued floodingthroughout Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Thailand, as the deathtoll climbed to at least 508. Hundreds of others were injured asfloodwaters from overflowing rivers reached up to 18 feet in somelocations.