Dozens of trees uprooted, power lines down, buildings damaged after microburst hits west Phoenix
At height of storm, 31,000 customers lost power
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Monsoon storms were active Wednesday across parts of Arizona, including the Phoenix area, knocking out power to thousands of people and a microburst caused serious damage.
The National Weather Service said a microburst hit west Phoenix with winds of up to 77 mph. In the same area, a roof collapsed at an industrial building and a worker is missing. Another building also collapsed on 43rd Avenue between Roosevelt and Fillmore Street.
An apartment complex near Interstate 10 and 53rd Avenue also saw damage with a portion of its roof torn off.
Dozens of uprooted trees were scattered across the Valley, including one tree that tipped over onto an apartment complex near 35th and Peoria avenues. Downed lines were also reported across the West Valley.
The Salt River Project (SRP) reports that 26 of its poles were damaged during the storms, many of which are located near 7th Street and Van Buren.
Roughly 1,500 SRP customers are still without electricity in the West Valley, while just under 4,000 Arizona Public Service Company customers don’t have power as of 2 p.m. on Thursday.
At the height of the storm, roughly 31,000 people lost power across the Valley.
Rain, wind, and lightning came in from the north and first hit areas like Lake Pleasant, Surprise, and Peoria. They then moved south, and parts of Glendale and west Phoenix saw heavy rain and wind.
A First Alert Weather Day was declared after the Storm Prediction Center issued upgraded risk categories for severe weather across parts of southern Arizona.
Flooding and flash flooding are a concern, especially across Yavapai and Gila counties, where storms are expected to move more slowly.
Storm chances continue to be elevated Thursday across the state, including another 40% chance for storms in the Valley. Hot temperatures are also expected again, with a Valley high near 113 degrees.
Friday brings continued storm chances, but over the weekend, drier air arrives, which will limit most of the storm action to southeastern and eastern Arizona. Temperatures in the Valley should hover near 110 degrees this weekend.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2024 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
