Sunday morning, Phoenix area residents woke up to debris scattered on roadways and toppled trees after the area experienced a powerful storm Saturday afternoon. Roads were flooded and flights were delayed after the area was hammered with heavy rains and strong winds. 51,000 residents were left without power, but the Salt River Project utility said that this number has been lowered to 800. Strong winds, thunder and a cascade of rain pounded the city, littering streets with downed trees and causing damage at the Phoenix airport.
Enough rain fell to create flash flood conditions on I-17 at Durango Curve, forcing authorities to close a section of the interstate. As much as 1.59 inches of rain fell at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, which broke the old daily rainfall record that was set in 1903. Throughout Phoenix, wind gusts exceeded severe limits, including the 67 mph wind gust recorded near Luke Air Force Base as well as the 71 mph wind gust recorded east of Peoria in Maricopa County.
Flight departures and landings were halted at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport for about an hour as 67 mph wind gusts produced roof and window damage at one of the airport's terminals. Airport spokeswoman Julie Rodriguez said the wind caused some damage to the roof of Terminal 2 in the baggage claim area and in some of the gate areas. However, all three terminals at Sky Harbor were operational. More than 30 flights scheduled to land in Phoenix were diverted to other airports. Rodriguez also stated that takeoffs and landings were halted between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. due to the winds and heavy rain.
http://www.weather.com/safety/floods/intense-phoenix-storms-20140927
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