Powerful storm sweeps across Arizona, takes out power and cancels flights

PHOENIX – Blasting winds disrupted flights out of Phoenix and shut down roads around cities and towns to the north Wednesday as a major winter storm created hazardous conditions.

Rain fell on most of the Valley, the National Weather Service reported and thousands were without power, according to utility company outage maps.

Salt River Project’s map showed the majority of the 6,215 Valley outages would be resolved by around 10:30 a.m.

Arizona Public Service customers were hit hardest in northeastern Arizona, where 12,427 were without power around 7 a.m.

In metro Phoenix, an estimated 3,739 were without power but by 8 a.m. it was down to 539.

The weather service recorded wind above 50 mph in multiple Valley locations Wednesday morning, including Paradise Valley, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Mesa-Phoenix Gateway Airport, Luke Air Force Base and Deer Valley Airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration showed flights could be grounded at Sky Harbor.

As of 10 a.m., 58 flights were canceled and 93 were delayed, according to the airport.

A wind advisory was in place for the Valley until 8 p.m.

Up, north, a winter storm warning was in effect in Flagstaff until 11 p.m.

“It is definitely a unique storm system,” Cindy Kobold, a meteorologist with the weather service, told KTAR News 92.3 FM.

Early-morning winds surpassed 65 mph – Flagstaff Airport reported 68 mph before dawn – and combined with snowfall, forced closures of roads all the way to the New Mexico border:

• Interstate 40 between US 93 and the Arizona-New Mexico state line (MP 72-359)
• State Route 87 between Winslow and Payson (MP 342-252)
• US 180 north of Snowbowl (MP 236-248)
• SR 260 between Indian Pine and Greer (MP 385-360)
• SR 260 between Camp Verde and SR 87 (MP 220-252)
• SR 260 between Star Valley and Heber-Overgaard (MP 257-302)
• SR 89A Sedona and I-17 (MP 375-398)
• I-17 between SR 179 and Flagstaff (MP 298-340)
• SR 64 near the Grand Canyon (MP 240-264)
• US 191 near Alpine (MP 225-252)

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

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