Residents of Phoenix, Arizona woke up to debris strewn across the streets and fallen trees blocking their roads on Sunday morning. This was after a heavy storm swept over the area starting on Saturday afternoon destroying everything on its path.
The storm was accompanied by rains that were so heavy as to attract a flash floods- alert from the authorities there. Roads were flooded and a section of the interstate had to be closed down. Skies were dark grey much of Saturday afternoon and evening. Reports from the Weather Service suggest that the storm was caused by a low-pressure system with an associated cold front that moved westward through the region, pulling tropical moisture in from the south.
Though no personal injuries have been reported, wide spread damage has been caused to various amenities there. Winds of over 65mph destroyed terminal two of the Phoenix Sky Harbour International Airport, resulting in delays in take-offs as well as landings into the airport. The rain that fell in and around the airport was estimated at 1.59 inches, which broke the area's record set earlier in 1903. Planes that had been scheduled to land there were diverted to other airports. Gratefully, the delay occasioned lasted only for an hour or so.
A lot of power lines were brought down, thus interfering with the power supply, leaving about 51,000 people without power.Most of the power outages were experienced in the western parts of phoenix, and in a smaller scale elsewhere. Traffic lights were not left out as most were knocked down as well. Despite the damage, meteorological reports have confirmed that the storm was not a monsoon, just a combination of monsoon moisture and Phoenix's first fall storm. This brought hope to those affected as it implied that the bad weather will not go on for a long time.
