Storms bring dust, thunder and rain to multiple parts of the Valley

PHOENIX — Multiple parts of the Valley were blanketed by dust, doused with rain and rattled by thunderstorms on Monday night.

Dusty conditions began around 4 p.m. near Interstate 10 in Casa Grande and Eloy, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Phoenix.

The dust storms made their way north into the Valley, as a dust storm warning was issued just before 5 p.m. for the I-10 near Avondale and Goodyear as well as the I-10, Interstate 17 and U.S. Route 60 near Phoenix and Mesa.

Due to the weather there was a ground stop put in place at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport that halted flights for about an hour.

Winds were so severe that a roof on Sky Harbor’s Terminal 4 was blown off, according to ABC15. Airport officials would not comment on specific damages, however, they said that crews were working to clean up water that had collected in passenger areas.

In addition to the dust storms, NWS also sent out severe thunderstorm warnings for Queen Creek, Chandler, Gilbert, Higley, Guadalupe, Gila Crossing and Laveen.

There were also flash flood warnings issued for multiple parts of western Arizona near California.

Around 7:45 p.m., NWS Phoenix said that storm activity in the Phoenix metro area was diminishing, but that some parts of the Valley were still being affected.

How much rain did the Valley get?

Sky Harbor, which NWS uses for the city’s official reading, had received 0.29 inches of rain by 8 p.m. when the storm was winding down.

The airport was sprinkled with 0.01 inches of rain Monday morning when isolated showers dropped rain in parts of metro Phoenix. Last week, Sky Harbor received its first amount of measurable rainfall since July 2 with 0.04 inches of rain being dropped by thunderstorms.

South Phoenix received the most rain with 1.18 inches of rain falling on the area around South Mountain, according to Maricopa County’s Rainfall Data Interactive Map.

Central Phoenix wasn’t far behind. Alhambra was doused with 0.91 inches of rain and the Biltmore area got sprayed with 0.79 inches of rain.

Meanwhile, in the East Valley, Tempe and Chandler received 0.71 and 0.55 inches of rain, respectively.

The West Valley was a little drier with Glendale seeing 0.28 inches of rain followed by Litchfield park which got 0.16 inches of rain.

What should you do when caught in a dust storm?

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) compiled tips for drivers when hazardous weather hits, such as dusty conditions.

ADOT advised motorists to never drive into a dust storm and said it’s best to exit the highway as safely as possible.

Motorists who are unable to exit before the storm hits should follow the Pull Aside, Stay Alive safety tips.

First, check the traffic around you and start slowing down.

Then, safely pull off the paved portion of the roadway. Do not stop in the travel lanes or on the shoulder.

After that, put the emergency brake on, turn off all vehicle lights, including your emergency flashers, and take your foot off the brake. This will prevent lights from your vehicle from acting as a guide to any vehicles behind you, possibly leading them to crash into your parked car.

Finally, keep your seatbelt fastened and wait until the dust storm ends.

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