Flash flood warning in effect for Maricopa County; thousands without power in metro Phoenix
Cooler temperatures and more thunderstorm activity is expected to pick up again through this weekend in Arizona, according to the National Weather Service in Phoenix.
Metro Phoenix got a glimpse of what the weekend has in store, as storms moved through the metro area and brought thunderstorms and wind with it on Thursday evening.
According to the weather service, monsoon moisture will gradually increase and peak on Friday through Sunday, when heavy rain and localized flooding chances will be the highest.
"This weekend looks to be one of our better setups of the monsoon season so far, many areas across the state could be looking at really heavy rainfall amounts," said Isaac Smith, a meteorologist with the weather service in Phoenix. "Our chances for thunderstorms this weekend climb to around 80%."
By Thursday night, the northern area of Phoenix saw a half inch to an inch of rain, according to National Weather Service in Phoenix spokesperson Paul Iniguez.
Iniguez said that a "flood watch starts at 11 a.m. Friday and it continues until Saturday night while those conditions are still in play with the broader weather system."
On Thursday evening, a flash flood warning was in issued and in effect until 12:15 a.m. of Friday in Maricopa County, impacting areas north of Glendale and Peoria, according to a tweet from NWS Phoenix. The service advised residents to move to higher ground and avoid driving through flooded areas.
The weather service in Phoenix also issued a special weather statement advising 50 mph winds until 7:15 p.m. in Phoenix, Mesa and Chandler. A severe thunderstorm warning was also in effect until 7:15 p.m. for Scottsdale and Paradise Valley.
According to the Arizona Public Service outage map, central Phoenix, Buckeye, north Glendale and Casa Grande were experiencing power outages Thursday evening. At one point, over 2,000 customers were impacted in Phoenix, while several thousand in the west Valley were still without power as of 9 p.m.
"We do have crews headed over to assess the situations. We do have field personnel that are being dispatched to all of the outages," APS spokesperson Lily Quezada said.
According to Quezada, APS prepares for monsoon season all year long by being staffed with crews that can respond when storms occur throughout Arizona. "We position crews wherever we believe that is going to happen so that they are ready to respond as quickly and safely as possible," said Quezada.
The weather service in Flagstaff issued a flood watch for Coconino County effective until 11 p.m. Thursday. Another watch remains in effect from late Friday morning to Saturday evening for most of southwestern Arizona.
A shelter in place order was issued for the Mt. Elden Estates area by Flagstaff.
Weekend forecast
Temperatures were expected to cool down into the 90s by Friday and "possibly upper 80s by Saturday," the weather service said.
According to Smith, a strong moisture outflow is expected to hit the Phoenix area on Thursday evening, bringing wind speeds of over 35 mph and more storm chances that will prevail through Saturday and slightly decrease on Sunday.
Smith said the areas that will likely be most affected by rainfall and flooding this weekend are the northern and southwestern parts of the state including parts of Maricopa, Pinal, and Gila counties.
Smith advised people to be prepared for the strong monsoon conditions this weekend.
"Since it's the weekend and people may have plans, people need to stay up to date with the latest forecast, along with warnings as well in the event they end up in an area that is expecting flash flooding or heavy weather," Smith said.
He also advised drivers to travel cautiously, as they face the highest risks when it comes to flash flooding.
"If you encounter flooded roadways, remember to turn around, don't drown," he said.
Weekend traffic
More conditions affecting drivers include weekend-long closures on Phoenix-area freeways.
A stretch of eastbound Interstate 10 will close near Sky Harbor Airport, between State Route 51 and U.S. 60, and along the Broadway Curve from 10 p.m. Friday until 4 a.m. Monday, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.
Drivers can also expect delays on westbound Interstate 10 as they will be narrowed to two lanes between 40th Street and the Salt River Bridge near Sky Harbor from 4 a.m. Saturday to 4 a.m. Monday. The eastbound lanes of the freeway will also narrow to three lanes between Baseline and Guadalupe roads from 10 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Saturday for construction work, ADOT said.
A section of eastbound Loop 202 in the southeast Valley also is scheduled to close between Cooper Road and Val Vista Drive in the southeast Valley from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.
Schedules and restrictions could change depending on weather conditions, ADOT said.
ADOT advised drivers to plan ahead, allow extra travel time and seek alternate routes.
Reach breaking news reporter Laura Daniella Sepulveda at lsepulveda@lavozarizona.com or on Twitter @lauradNews.
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