More hard rain expected to hammer Phoenix area heading into weekend

PHOENIX – Thousands of Valley residents faced a Friday morning without power and slick road conditions from rainstorms that hit the area.

More rain was expected throughout the day, forecasters said. There is a 60% chance of downpours during daylight hours and up to 70% overnight. Predictions for Sunday put likelihood of thunderstorms at 60%.

Downed lines and a transformer failure left about 10,000 Salt River Project and Arizona Public Service customers without electricity during driving rain that began Thursday evening.

“A lot of the city got hit with some good rain,” Mark O’Malley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Phoenix bureau, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Friday.

7:50 AM Update: Showers and thunderstorms continue to push through eastern parts of the Phoenix metro this morning. The main impacts will be locally heavy rain and lightning. Make sure to take it slow on the wet roadways. #azwx pic.twitter.com/gvWXhOAYiw

— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) July 23, 2021

Quite a busy night last night! Here’s a look at the 1 day rainfall totals. Washes and steams are flowing out there! Drive with caution ⚠️ and don’t drive around barricades ⛔️ ! https://t.co/yNJEM14Yye #azwx pic.twitter.com/N4SphZN7Jr

— The Flood Control District of Maricopa County (@FCDFloodInfo) July 23, 2021

Entrances to Interstate 17 at Greenway Road were closed because of flooding from heavy rain that was falling early Friday. Crashes dotted other wet freeways – a semitrailer jackknifed at the Interstate 10 split with I-17 around 5:30 a.m., backing up westbound traffic to 40th Street.

I-10 westbound to I-17 northbound at the Split: Watch out for a semi crash in the left lane.

Check your route before you head out with the AZ 511 & ADOT Alerts apps: https://t.co/MxTvyyEdpM#PhxTraffic pic.twitter.com/unHYngesff

— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) July 23, 2021

“Some people got very little [rain],” O’Malley said, pointing out low numbers in parts of the West Valley.

And then there is Scottsdale, which was pounded with 2 inches of rain in an hour Thursday night.

City officials said trees were uprooted by high winds in Old Town and that the fire department rescued several people from vehicles trapped in rushing water.

Trees also came down at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park near Indian Bend and Scottsdale roads. The park is closed for cleanup until Sunday.

A Flood Control District of Maricopa County map showed the gauge at Indian Bend Wash at Indian School Road recorded 2.64 inches in less than 24 hours.

A flash flood watch remains in effect until 11 p.m. Saturday.

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

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