Storm hits Valley with rain, wind, knocking out power to thousands of residents

PHOENIX — A storm bringing rain and high winds moved across metro Phoenix on Wednesday, knocking out power to thousands of residents.

The storm made its way east, dropping over half an inch of rain in Surprise, Glendale and Phoenix and nearly an inch of rain north of Phoenix by 10 p.m. according to Maricopa County rain gauges.

As the storm continues to push through the East Valley, most rain gauges have already captured up to half an inch of rain.

More than 4,500 SRP households near Interstate 17 were had been without power, while nearly 2,000 APS households around the same time were also without power. Most have been restored, but the cause for the outages remain under investigation.

South of Phoenix, State Route 238 was closed from milepost 40 near Maricopa to Gila Bend due to flooding. There was no estimated time to reopen the highway.

*CLOSURE*

SR 238 is CLOSED from milepost 40 near Maricopa to Gila Bend.

The closure is due to flooding.

Expect delays and seek an alternate route.

There is no estimated time to reopen the highway.#phxtraffic #aztraffic pic.twitter.com/wSvxEWVd4p

— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) March 2, 2023

A wind advisory was in effect across metro Phoenix until 9 p.m., as gusts could reach 45 mph, NWS said.

Travelers were told to expect difficult driving conditions, travel delays because of slick roadways, loose objects that could become airborne and occasional reduced visibility.

Chance for showers continued into the morning at 20% through 8 a.m.

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