Greenway Road on Interstate 17 in Phoenix on July 23, 2021. (Screenshot / ADOT Webcam)
PHOENIX – Thousands of Valley residents found themselves without power and slippery road conditions on Friday morning due to rainstorms hitting the region.
According to forecasters, more rain was expected during the day. The probability of rainfall is 60% in daylight and up to 70% in the night. The forecasts for Sunday assume a thunderstorm probability of 60%.
Failed lines and a transformer failure left approximately 10,000 customers of the Salt River Project and Arizona Public Service without power during the pouring rain that began Thursday night.
“Much of the city has been hit by good rain,” Mark O’Malley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Phoenix office, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Friday.
7.50 a.m. Update: Showers and thunderstorms continue through the eastern parts of the Phoenix Metro this morning. The main impacts will be local heavy rain and lightning strikes. Drive slowly on wet roads. #azwx pic.twitter.com/gvWXhOAYiw
– NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) July 23, 2021
Quite a busy night last night! Here is a look at the precipitation totals for 1 day. Washes and vapors flow out of there! Drive with caution ️ and do not drive around barricades ⛔️! https://t.co/yNJEM14Yye #azwx pic.twitter.com/N4SphZN7Jr
– The Maricopa County’s Flood Protection District (@FCDFloodInfo) July 23, 2021
The entrances to Interstate 17 on Greenway Road were closed due to flooding due to heavy rain early Friday. Accidents littered other wet highways – a semi-trailer truck shared with I-17 on Interstate 10 at around 5:30 a.m. jammed traffic west to 40th Street.
I-10 in a westerly direction to I-17 in a northerly direction at Split: watch out for a half-impact in the left lane.
Check your route before you set off with the AZ 511 & ADOT Alerts apps: https://t.co/MxTvyyEdpM#PhxTraffic pic.twitter.com/unHYngesff
– Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) July 23, 2021
“Some people have very little [rain]“Said O’Malley, pointing out low numbers in parts of the West Valley.
And then there is Scottsdale, which pelted 2 inches of rain for an hour on Thursday night.
“Old Town seemed like Ground Zero,” said O’Malley. “There are a lot of fallen trees, a lot of sporadic damage.”
A map of Maricopa County’s Flood Control District showed the gauge at Indian Bend Wash on Indian School Road measured 2.64 inches in less than 24 hours.
A flash flood watch is in effect until 11 p.m. on Saturday.
Jim Cross of KTAR News 92.3 FM contributed to this report.
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