Monsoon storm brings heavy rain into Phoenix area during rush hour
Jul 30, 2019, 5:04 PM | Updated: 9:59 pm
(ADOT Photo)
(ADOT Photo)
PHOENIX — A monsoon storm swept into the Valley during rush hour Tuesday, creating slick road conditions for commuters before dropping more rain later in the evening.
Some cities received almost an inch of rain by 10 p.m., with the gauge at Sonoqui Wash in Queen Creek registering an area-most .87 inches of rain.
The storm moved in from the east, dousing Apache Junction with about half an inch of rain over a 20-minute period, the National Weather Service said around 4:30 p.m.
Mesa also was hit hard, with a gauge at Horne and McLellan roads registering .79 inches of rain over a 30-minute period around 5:30 p.m.
Chandler, Ahwatukee and San Tan Valley also received rain at about 4 p.m. as the storm moved toward Tempe, Scottsdale and north Phoenix.
RAIN IN THE EAST VALLEY pic.twitter.com/fjwWfJ0bll
— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) July 30, 2019
Rain returned across the Valley around 8:30 p.m.
The East Valley was affected the most, with areas in Mesa and Chandler receiving .20 inches of rain over a 30-minute period.
North Phoenix, Goodyear and Ahwatukee also got rain later in the evening.
Rain’s coming down all over Arizona. Please slow down and watch for wet pavement. #aztraffic #phxtraffic pic.twitter.com/5nvrQRf34D
— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) July 31, 2019
The storm affected some flights at Phoenix Sky Harbor.
An airport spokeswoman says that as of 6 p.m. Tuesday, 20 arriving flights were delayed by thunderstorms in the area along with four departing flights.
Winds picked up across the Valley with gusts up to 68 mph at Falcon Field in Mesa, according to NWS.
7pm Weather Update: Rainfall totals around the Valley. East Valley the big winners so far!!! #azwx Keep track of where the rain is falling and how much here: https://t.co/k2pFKrrCKT pic.twitter.com/WwhBfQPbRB
— FCDMC Flood Info (@FCDFloodInfo) July 31, 2019
About 3,000 customers in Mesa lost power around 5 p.m, according to the SRP outage map.
Nearly 700 SRP customers in Scottsdale also lost power around 6 p.m. but it was quickly restored.
About 2,200 APS customers in Tempe lost power as well, according to an outage map.
NWS issued a flash-flood watch for the entire Phoenix area that was originally scheduled until 1 a.m. Wednesday but was pushed back until 8 a.m.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
