PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Monsoon storms brought golf-ball-sized hail and heavy rain, causing travel headaches for people on the road and in the air.
As of 7:30 p.m., approximately 59 Arizona Public Service (APS) customers are without power in the Valley. For Salt River Project (SRP), an estimated 114 Maricopa County customers are also without power.
The official Phoenix rain gauge at Sky Harbor recorded 1.64″ of rain today. First off, that is the most rain in a single day in Phoenix since 2018 and ties us as the fourth wettest day ever recorded in Phoenix since 2000.
Today’s rain makes up two-thirds of our monsoon rainfall total. We now have 2.55″ to date, which brings us above the average monsoon rainfall for Phoenix, which is at 2.35″.
A ground stop at Phoenix Sky Harbor on Friday lasted until 4:30 p.m., except for American Airlines which continued through 6 p.m. Flights were diverted to Los Angeles, Albuquerque, New Mexico; El Paso, Texas; Salt Lake City; and Denver.
As for the East Valley, Tempe, Scottsdale, and Mesa, all saw over two inches of rain. And many Valley locations picked up half an inch to an inch throughout the day. Showers and storms will continue through tonight in eastern Arizona, where thunderstorms could bring heavy rain, hail and gusty winds; meanwhile, Phoenix will take a break from the activity.
Arizona State University announced it was canceling Sparky’s Tailgate due to severe weather. As of now, the Sun Devils’ game against TCU is still on schedule.
We still have a First Alert Day for tomorrow, with more showers and storms in the forecast. Some of the heaviest rain, however, looks to fall across southwestern Arizona. Showers and storms look to develop in the higher terrain areas north and east of Phoenix throughout the day tomorrow.
Isolated to scattered showers are possible across metro Phoenix in the late morning hours into early Saturday afternoon.
A spokesperson with Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport says 10 flights were diverted to other airports during the initial ground stops earlier Friday.
Just before 10 a.m., rain began falling in the West Valley. Traffic cameras showed slick roads on the Loop 303 and Interstate 10. Pea-sized hail began falling near 7th and Missouri avenues.
The Arizona Department of Transportation advised drivers to check their windshield wipers, slow down and not drive in pooling water. As a result of these conditions, we declared a First Alert Weather Day for Friday.
An area of low pressure has moved into Southern California and is expected to be stationary for the next few days, pulling abundant moisture up into Arizona.
A flood watch remains in effect through 8 p.m. tomorrow for southeastern Arizona, including the Tucson area.
Still some lingering moisture into Sunday with just a slight chance for showers, and drier air moves in next week. Below-normal temperatures will continue through the weekend, with highs in the upper 80s tomorrow and lower 90s on Sunday, and overnight lows dipping into the lower 70s and upper 60s across the Valley this weekend.
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