Heavy rains pound Phoenix, close roads and schools

Heavy rains pound Phoenix, close roads and schools

... Excerpt

 

By David Schwartz

PHOENIX Tue Sep 9, 2014

(Reuters) - A major storm packing heavy rains pounded the Phoenix area early on Monday, forcing schools to cancel classes and closing roads, including sections of two major freeways.

 

The downpour brought chaos to the morning commute for many drivers, turning some highways into lakes, with officials saying parts of both Interstates 10 and 17 were shut to traffic.

 

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer declared a statewide emergency for areas affected by the severe rainfall and flooding.

 

"Non-essential state employees should stay home today. If you must travel, please do so with caution & BE SAFE!" Brewer said on Twitter, alongside the hashtag #TurnAroundDontDrown.

 

A record-setting 3.29 inches of rain landed on Sky Harbor International Airport, beating the 2.91 inches that fell in September 1939 for the most rainfall in a single day in Phoenix.

 

One city on the southeast outskirts of Phoenix saw more than 5-1/2 inches of rain.

 

"We've made it through the worst," Mark O'Malley, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix, said on Monday. "We're probably done for the day for most of the Phoenix area."

 

He said the moisture-heavy air lingering over metropolitan Phoenix would mean a roughly 30 percent chance of rain for Tuesday, followed by a drying trend over the next few days.

 

At its peak, airport officials reported that flights were delayed for 25 minutes and about 20,000 people were without power from the deluge because of downed power poles and lines throughout the Phoenix area. Multiple schools in the Phoenix area canceled classes for the day.

 

Local television stations broadcast footage of severe flooding, with some abandoned vehicles nearly completely submerged. Authorities said several people were rescued from vehicles, and that the roof of a grocery store partially collapsed in the storm. There were no injuries.

 

In southern Arizona, authorities said a woman in her 50s was killed when her car was swept downstream after becoming stuck in a fast-moving, rain-swollen wash.

 

Weather officials in Tucson said the city also set a single-day record with 1.26 inches of rain dumped at Tucson International Airport. That broke the 1919 record of 0.94 of an inch. Police reported numerous street closures in Tucson and the surrounding area from the heavy rains.

 

The National Weather Service also issued a flash flood warning for parts of the Las Vegas metro area.

 

(Reporting by David Schwartz; Additional reporting by Cynthia Johnston in Las Vegas; Editing by Daniel Wallis, Sandra Maler and Peter Cooney)`