Tempe Town Lake and several of the Tempe parks are closed today due to flooding and standing water after storms brought several inches of rain this past weekend.
All boating and fishing in Tempe Town Lake is closed today due to safety concerns. On Sunday night, city staff took all boats, docks and other water objects off of the water as they anticipated over 75,000 cubic feet of water per second to flow through the lake today.
But city officials say the lake was designed for floods, even in the middle of a desert.
“A primary purpose of the lake is flood control, and the lake is working as designed to handle heavy flow from this weekend’s rain and Salt River Project’s upstream water releases,” said Maegan Pardue, a spokesperson from the city of Tempe.
The city says that the lake was channelized in 1996 in partnership with the Arizona Department of Transportation and Maricopa County. The process of channelizing adds over eight inches of gabion baskets of rocks to the sides of the river channel to prevent flooding on the north and south sides of the Salt River and Tempe Town Lake.
This is how high-rise buildings and other structures are able to be supported near the water without being at risk of flooding during storms. The dam at the east end of the lake also works to control the flow of water into the lake.
The city has also closed all parks and athletic areas following the storms. These areas are anticipated to open later in the week, and anyone who comes near standing water should exercise increased caution.
Last October, Tempe endured a microburst storm with winds up to 90 miles per hour and flooding ensued in various places. This also helped the city be more prepared for storms to come.
“We’ve conducted multiple drills and exercises so that we can understand what our capabilities are moving forward,” said Tempe’s Emergency Response Director Monique Rodriguez in a press conference about last year’s storm.
Madeline Bates joined Independent Newsmedia in 2025 as a Phoenix/Tempe reporter. Before graduating college, she spent a semester in Washington as a Congressional reporter in the first 100 days of the second Trump administration. But local news is where her heart is. She is excited to be in Phoenix full time and exploring new parts of the city (as long as they have AC).
Community: After living in East Phoenix for two years, she fell in love with Paradise Valley, Mesa, Tempe, and everywhere in between. She recently discovered the beauty of the South Mountain Reserve and hopes to continue exploring should the weather comply.
Education: Madeline has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and a certificate in Political History and Leadership.
Random Fact: She is a self-taught nail tech. No, she cannot do your nails.
Hobbies: Hiking (when its not 100 degrees), fiction writing, cooking, baking and trying new coffee shops.
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