A powerful storm that swept through metro Phoenix on Thursday night caused power outages for tens of thousands of households.
Erica Roelfs with SRP said that more than 71,000 SRP customers were left without power at the height of the storm. It damaged as many as 13 power lines in several locations, especially in the West Valley.
The number of APS customers without power at the height of the storm was 18,000, according to Jill Hanks. Those outages were also spread across multiple areas, including Tempe, Buckeye and Avondale.
Hanks said some areas are more difficult to repair than others.
"We’re having trouble getting access to some of the locations where there’s damage because of flooding, so our crews are waiting for the flooding to subside and trying to get in there with the muddy mucky mess," she said.
12:40 PM Radar Update: Strong to severe storms in SW AZ currently are producing very heavy rainfall, strong wind gusts, blowing dust, and frequent lightning. Storms are starting to pop around SE CA and light showers with some embedded storms are moving through SC AZ. #azwx #cawx pic.twitter.com/5b8ZLEAktL
— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) September 1, 2023
Because more storm activity is expected to continue, both utilities said they're preparing crews for more outages.
Flood watch in northern Arizona
The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for the western part of the state ranging from Globe all the way to the Nevada border. The warning lasts until Saturday night. And it follows severe thunderstorm warnings that were issued on Thursday as a surge of subtropical moisture moves through the state.
