Thousands lose power as monsoon storms hit Phoenix area

Strong storm systems made their way into the Valley late Sunday evening, causing more than 8,000 households to lose power. 

Officials issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the entire Valley that would be in effect until 10:45 p.m.

ADOT advised drivers to slow down or avoid travel altogether. 

The right lanes of eastbound Interstate 10 were flooded near the 7th Street exit, ADOT warned around 11 p.m.

Among the biggest outages:

• More than 1,000 households in the Laveen area, between 35th and 47th avenues and Larson Road to South Mountain Avenue. It wasn’t expected to be restored until about 2:20 a.m. Monday, SRP said.
• More than 1,600 SRP customers in Glendale, stretching from 35th to 19th avenues and Northern Avenue to Bethany Home Road. 
• 1,400 customers in the East Valley from Longmore Road to Center Street and McDowell to Brown roads, SRP said. 
• Nearly 1,400 customers in central Phoenix between Montebello and Campbell avenues and 12th Street and Central Avenue, Arizona Public Service said. 
• More than 1,600 APS customers between Bell Road and Acoma Drive and 36th Street and Tatum Boulevard. 

The storm also caused a one-hour ground stop at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, as well as delays and diversions, an airport spokeswoman said.

Earlier in the evening, National Weather Service meteorologist James Sawtelle said the Valley had a 45 percent chance of seeing evening showers. 

Sawtelle said storms are currently far east of the Valley in areas like southern Gila County and have potential to produce outflows that could reach Phoenix by the evening. 

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Saturday evening’s storms caused nearly 6,000 households to lose power and prompted air traffic controllers to divert some flights bound for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to airports in Mesa, Tucson and Las Vegas. 

It’s unclear if the storm systems making their way toward the Valley Sunday would bring the same disruptions, Sawtelle said, adding that there’s always potential for unpredictable flash flooding. 

The agency tweeted just after 3:45 p.m. that there was a strong storm 20 miles northeast of Globe that was moving westward at 15 mph. 

The tweet said that the storm would likely bring heavy winds and “torrential downpours.”

Sawtelle said that the storms were likely to bring strong winds and blowing dust.

Most importantly, Sawtelle said, the moisture in the air is cooling down the forecast from its typical sizzling temperatures.

“One of the silver linings in the forecast is we’re only looking for a high forecast of 95 to 100 tomorrow in the Valley, Sawtelle said. 

Sawtelle said those temperatures are “well below normal for us” and that the cooler temperatures coupled with cloudy skies and a chance for showers throughout the week would bring the Valley “a little bit of relative reprieve from the heat.”

The Valley has a chance for late afternoon and evening storms every day through the middle of the week, Sawtelle said. 

He encouraged the public to remain vigilant during severe weather. 

“Follow your monsoon season safety guidelines,” Sawtelle said. “If the thunder roars, get indoors. If you see dust, pull aside and stay alive.”

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