The view from the cutbank after 2.6 inches of rain from a single storm swelled Hot Springs Wash with roiling floodwaters. Only a single channel is visible in this image. The waters braided across the broad wash floor in an ever-changing – and growing – number of channels. Powerful floods are characteristic of desert washes with large drainage areas (this wash drains an area of about 100 square miles) and steep slopes in their headwater areas.