The disturbance regime of stream ecosystems is closely related to prevailing climate features.  These linkages are particularly strong in arid and semi-arid regions, where small changes in precipitation and evaporation can have dramatic consequences for stream flow.  Here we evaluate long-term (1983–1999) data on benthic macroinvertebrate succession following floods to ask how inter-annual climate and hydrologic variability influence community composition in Sycamore Creek, Arizona (USA).  Inter-annual variation in discharge at Sycamore Creek is closely correlated with the amount of winter precipitation, and is influenced by phases of the El-Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).  The earliest successional sequences considered here (1983, 1985-86) were characterized at the end of an extensive period of continuous stream flow (1970-1986). Subsequent sequences were initiated by floods during or following years of extended drying (1987-90; 1997-99), or intense flooding (1992-93 El niño).  Analysis of community composition indicates that inter-annual variation in macroinvertebrate assemblage structure in this system oscillates in association with these ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ hydrologic periods.  Further, changes in community composition reflect unique relationships between the abundance of particular taxa and the broader disturbance regime. These taxon-specific responses to climate variability appear related to life-history features that govern larval developmental rates and habitat selection.