Arizona Weather: Dust Storm, Flash Flood Warnings Issued, Lightning Strikes Teens

Dust storm and flash flood warnings were issued for the areas in and around Phoenix city, Arizona, by The National Weather Service following a monsoon storm that brought dust, wind and heavy rains to the area Wednesday evening.

The storm knocked out power in the East Valley, including Mesa and Tempe, with a total of nearly 60,000 customers listed without power as of 9 p.m. local time (12 a.m. EDT). The power generating company Arizona Public Service said around 16,000 customers did not have electricity and crews will be out to make repairs as the storm passes.

"Unfortunately, we will most likely have damage where we got to have our crews dig a new pole or string new wire and those restorations take longer," APS spokesperson Suzanne Trevino said, AZ Family reported.

On the other hand, Salt River Project, another electrical utility provider said about 46,000 of their customers were without power with most of them in East Valley. “Our crews are working as safely and quickly as possible to have power restored,” it tweeted.

Several areas including The McDowell Mountains received heavy rains up to 2 inches in about an hour and the city streets also witnessed flooding. Thunderstorms were creating strong winds, blowing dust and localized heavy rains, Mark O’Malley with the National Weather said.

The dust storm warning was in effect till 9 p.m. local time (12 a.m. EDT) and with winds in excess of 40 mph, drivers were warned to expect visibility of less than a quarter mile, KTAR News reported. The National Weather Service also warned people to avoid driving in the storms or pull over if they are caught in one.

“It’s not worth risking your life to drive through the dust,” O’Malley said.

While Scottsdale saw the highest peak winds at 69 miles per hour, Sky Harbor witnessed winds of 63 mph at its peak. A flash flood warning was issued until 11.30 p.m. local time (2.30 a.m. EDT) which affected areas like north Phoenix, north Scottsdale, Fountain Hills, Cave Creek and Carefree.

“Pima Road is closed between Princess Dr and Leagacy. There are lane restrictions at Scottsdale Rd and Adobe and there are other lane restrictions throughout the city due to storm damage. If you out plz drive safely,” Scottsdale police tweeted.

According to police, two teens were struck by lightning in a park in El Mirage during Wednesday's storm. The two 14-year-old boys, who were playing with friends in the park, were rushed to a nearby hospital. While one went into cardiac arrest, the other suffered severe injuries.

Officials also said several people were trapped inside their cars after storms toppled power poles onto the vehicles near Deer Valley and Scottsdale roads. All the occupants were safely rescued by firefighters and no injuries were reported.