Pinal County has sand and empty sandbags ready for residents at its road maintenance yard on Hunt Highway, as the National Weather Service forecasts heavy rain for the San Tan Valley area Monday night into Tuesday.

The yard is open Monday through Thursday from 5 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is closed Friday through Sunday. The county supplies the sand and the bags, and residents fill the bags themselves, so bring your own shovel. The county limits each household to 25 bags.

Pinal County Public Works Maintenance Yard

3535 E. Hunt Highway

San Tan Valley, AZ 85143

The county asks residents to call ahead to make sure someone is on site. Its main line, 520-509-3555, is answered from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. After hours, the county directs calls to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office at 520-866-5111.

The sandbags are for Pinal County residents, and that includes the whole San Tan Valley area, inside the Town of San Tan Valley and in the unincorporated area alike.

As of Monday morning, the weather service's forecast for the San Tan Valley area called for scattered showers Monday, then showers and thunderstorms Monday night with three-quarters of an inch to an inch of rain possible. Another half inch to three-quarters of an inch could fall Tuesday before the storms taper off Tuesday evening, and Wednesday is forecast to be sunny.

A row of sandbags across a doorway, a garage entry or a low spot in the yard can help keep shallow runoff from reaching the house.

Pinal County Public Works says its crews close flooded roads as fast as they can, but drivers can reach a flooded road before a crew does. The county warns that 6 inches of fast-moving water can knock down an adult and 18 inches can carry most vehicles away, so do not drive into water covering a road, with or without barricades. The county's road closures hotline, 520-866-6078, is listed with other county numbers on our Important San Tan Valley Phone Numbers page.