PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A major dust storm and severe thunderstorms hit significant portions of the Valley on Monday, leaving downed trees, causing extensive power outages, and impacting operations at Arizona’s largest airport.
Rainfall totals were significant in the far West Valley as about 2.5″ of rain was recorded near Interstate 10 and Buckeye Road. More than two inches of rain was also reported in Wickenburg, Crown King, and Kirkland.
Meanwhile in the East Valley, about 1.6″ fell in central Mesa, with slightly lesser amounts in Scottsdale and Yarnell, compared to a half-inch to about an inch in several parts of Phoenix.
At one point, flights at Phoenix Sky Harbor were grounded due to the severity of the storms, including strong wind gusts, low visibility and the threat of lightning.
Earlier in the afternoon, the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for portions of Mesa, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Chandler Heights, and San Tan Mountain Park, which left a trail of damage. See more here.
A 67mph wind gust was recorded in Chandler around 5:20 p.m., according to the NWS. An even stronger gust, at 70mph, was recorded at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport less than an hour later.
Earlier in the afternoon, NWS issued dust storm and severe thunderstorm warnings for portions of Pinal County. Parts of rural Maricopa County were also under a dust storm warning near the Interstate 8 corridor.
Less than a couple hours earlier, a severe thunderstorm hovered over Pinal Airpark, prompting a warning for Pinal County’s most populated communities including Casa Grande, Coolidge, Maricopa, and Sweetwater
Meanwhile, in the Yuma area, as radar indicted strong storms along western Yuma County in southwestern Arizona and along southeastern Imperial County in southeastern California.
For those in the Tucson area, forecasters said that between one and two inches of rain had fallen by 4 p.m. NWS said some locations that could have experienced flash flooding primarily included rural areas of south-central Pima County.
Prepare for some weather changes this week, including showers, thunderstorms, strong winds, and cooler temperatures.
As of Monday night, Tuesday is also First Alert Weather Day in the Valley for possible rain and thunderstorm chances in the morning hours, though chances for another round like this one seems far-fetched at this point.
With our monsoon ridge of high pressure out to the northeast, a trough is also pushing in along the California coast. This setup allows more moisture to move into the state under a southeasterly flow.
As for Tuesday, we could still see some showers through the morning hours, but thunderstorm activity could be limited due to what we saw this evening.
Arizona’s Family First Alert Weather team is also tracking below normal temperatures for this time of the year. We’re looking at a high of 99 degrees on Tuesday, then around 101-102 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday, then warmer through the weekend with highs around 106 degrees. The weekend should stay mostly dry.
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