Rain comes down in Phoenix area Wednesday morning, more on way

PHOENIX – Storms dropped rain across the Phoenix area Wednesday morning in a reminder that the monsoon season isn’t quite over.

More than an inch came down during the 7 o’clock hour at Sun Valley Parkway and Northern Avenue in Buckeye, according to the Maricopa County rainfall map. A gauge just north of Buckeye near Glendale Avenue and Beardsley Canal Road measured more than an inch in the 10 o’clock hour.

While the early precipitation was heaviest in the West Valley, central and north Phoenix and Tempe also saw measurable rain by 9 a.m.

Intermittent storms were expected in the area throughout the day and into the evening, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood watch through 11 p.m.

“Probably the heaviest rain is going to be south of Phoenix, but there could be some storms that could pop up anywhere,” Derek Hodges of the National Weather Service in Phoenix told KTAR News 92.3 FM early Wednesday.

“Most spots are probably going to be a quarter inch of rain or less, but there will be a few spots where the heavier storms set up that could exceed an inch.”

The activity is expected to taper off after Wednesday.

“There will be a few storms that could continue into Thursday but it’s going to be mostly tied at that point to the higher terrain, so outside chance of a storm or a shower in Phoenix on Thursday, but it’s probably like 15% or less,” Hodges said.

That will likely be the last chance for rain in metro Phoenix this monsoon season, which ends Sept. 30.

“After that it’s really going to be winding down, and by Saturday or Sunday it will be completely done,” Hodges said.

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

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