Trees come down in storm that rips through Phoenix area

PHOENIX — Power was still out in thousands of homes and businesses in metro Phoenix early Tuesday after a storm pounded the area, tearing trees out of the ground and damaging houses.

Nearly an inch of rain fell in some parts of north Scottsdale and Fountain Hills, while as little as 0.04 inches fell in Litchfield Park and Chandler, according to Flood Control District of Maricopa County maps.

The stormy weather may have played a part in the death of an 89-year-old woman in Sun City. A spokesman for Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said it was possible a lightning strike caused the house near Thunderbird Road and Del Webb Boulevard to catch fire.

The unidentified woman was found unconscious and unresponsive in the burning home and pronounced dead at a hospital.

Four people were also transported to local hospitals after the Washington Manor senior housing facility in Phoenix lost power. It was restored around 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

Utility companies Arizona Public Service and Salt River Project combined had more than 120,000 customers without power Monday night.

By morning, APS said 9,000 customers were still in the dark. About 6,300 were still without around 9 a.m. About 10,000 SRP users had been waiting for electricity at sunrise but by 8 a.m. that number was down to 2,800.

At height of Monday night’s storm, we had 80,000 customers out. Crews have restored half of those and will work around the clock until all are back on. 70+ MPH monsoon winds caused major damage. We appreciate your patience as we work to get all restored. https://t.co/5krJSvqD1F

— APS (@apsFYI) July 31, 2018

Huge pine trees pulled out of the ground like weeds by last nights powerhouse storm near 9th Street and Peoria in Phoenix. ⁦@KTAR923⁩ ⁦@AZMorningNews⁩ pic.twitter.com/vuPH6v9H0d

— Jim Cross (@Crossfire923) July 31, 2018

Monday’s monsoon storms packed a punch!
Out of Maricopa, Gila, & Pinal counties, here are the top 4 highest wind gust reports.

Phoenix Sky Harbor included for perspective. We didn’t necessarily see the strongest gusts there, but winds still reached upwards of 40 mph.#abc15wx pic.twitter.com/jmQ1h1Japz

— Iris Hermosillo (@IrisABC15) July 31, 2018

A #haboob rolled through the greater #Phoenix area Monday and the @WeatherBug camera at the @azsciencecenter caught it. #azwx Check out the timelapse here: https://t.co/XU00j1I7Q2 pic.twitter.com/KQJPudHcmi

— WeatherBug (@WeatherBug) July 31, 2018

Traffic lights were out in parts of Phoenix, including Seventh Street at Camelback Road and Seventh Street and Missouri Avenue.

Phoenix Police said intersections without working lights were closed at 24th Street at Osborn Road, 19th Avenue at Thomas Road, 27th Avenue at Rose Garden Lane, 27th Avenue at Deer Valley Road, 35th Avenue at Union Hills Drive, 27th Avenue at Thomas Road, 35th Avenue at Thomas Road, 16th Street at Indian School Road and 16th Street at McDowell Road.

More damage hit closer to home. Pine trees were uprooted near Ninth Street and Peoria Avenue, some falling onto block walls and roofs.

Wood fences came down at houses near Interstate 17 and Northern Avenue.

Some areas withstood up to 74 mph winds, including the Glendale and Deer Valley municipal airports and Luke Air Force Base.

St. Mary’s Food Bank couldn’t open its distribution center near 31st Avenue and Thomas Road on Monday because of downed power lines. Power was restored Tuesday morning, and the facility planned to open for normal service at 9 a.m.

A spokesman for the nonprofit said it distributed food for 500-800 families a day from the site.

A representative for SRP said it would make bags of free ice available at the QuikTrip at 27th and Northern avenues starting at 9 a.m. Monday.

The National Weather Service tweeted if there were more storms coming, they likely wouldn’t be as strong.

ABC15 meteorologist Iris Hermosillo also said more storms could be on the way.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Jim Cross contributed to this report.

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