A couple died after falling out of their inflatable kayak during a ride down the Salt River, on a day when the city was deluged with rain, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said.
The man tried to get the attention of people on the banks about 1:30 p.m. Oct. 31, saying that his wife was in the water and couldn’t swim, spokesperson Dave Moyer said.
Both had been in an inflatable kayak but were floating freely in the water, the department said. Neither was wearing a life vest, according to Moyer.
The body of the woman, Cindy Bowers, 68, was recovered by deputies at around 2:15 p.m. using both a helicopter and boat, Moyer said.
The body of the man, Anthony Beringer, 59, was found upstream about an hour later, according to Moyer.
What was the weather that day?
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Extreme flooding across Arizona over Halloween weekend was due to an atmospheric river that dropped significantly above-average moisture levels to the state. The storms on Oct. 30 acted as a predecessor rainfall event of sorts, fully saturating the ground so that little precipitation that came later would be properly absorbed.Â
Thunderstorms moved in on Oct. 30, and a shortwave energy and abundant moisture produced showers and storms throughout the day. Rain totals pushed past half an inch in many areas of the Valley, and an inch or more was recorded in some gauges on the outer edges. A new round of storms hit with the evening rush hour, reducing visibility in some parts of the north Valley.
Rainfall then materialized quicker than forecasted on Halloween in the afternoon and evening, continuing through Nov. 1.
The Republic's Tevian Whitehurst contributed to this story.
