Tropical storm soaks Phoenix’s east side, turning streets to streams

If you were on the east side of the Valley on Wednesday night, you didn’t need anyone to tell you it was raining.

A tropical low-pressure system rolled up from the Gulf of California on Wednesday and dumped up to three inches of rain on parts of the metro, turning streets into rivers and sending water over low crossings across the region.

The heaviest totals hit a swath from Apache Junction and east Mesa up through Fountain Hills, north Scottsdale and the Anthem and New River areas, according to the National Weather Service.

If you were on the west or south side of the Valley, though, you may have barely gotten your windshield wet.

What made this storm so intense?

Sean Benedict, lead meteorologist with the NWS in Phoenix, said it wasn’t your typical monsoon thunderstorm.

“We had this very saturated air mass and warm air mass that produced very efficient rainmakers with these showers and storms,” Benedict told KTAR News 92.3 FM.

The storm was so strong that the National Hurricane Center was watching it while it was still in the Gulf of California before it tracked north into the state.

Expect a hot and dry weekend

The NWS forecasts near-zero rain chances through at least Monday, with drier air moving in and afternoon highs climbing back to around 100 degrees.

Phoenix might see another area of rain by next week, although forecasters aren’t sure when or exactly where that would materialize.

KTAR News 92.3 FM reporter Colton Krolak contributed to this report.

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