More than an inch of rain has dropped on Sky Harbor Airport, the most in a single day since 1973. The previous mark was a half-inch. The airport rain gauge hadn't measured any rain since Sept. 9. Rain began falling Thursday night.
The National Weather Service in Phoenix has issued a flood watch, which will be in effect until 11 p.m. Heavy rain has already forced closure of southbound Loop 303 from Peoria Avenue to Camelback Road. Motorists had already been trapped in flooded areas before 7 a.m.
Snow and whiteout conditions were reported on State Route 87 north of Flagstaff. Thursday, Yuma broke a 129-year-old single-day mark with more than a third of an inch. Forecasters said the storm system from the West could last 18 hours.
In Prescott, city officials said road crews will be ready to plow snow and treat ice if necessary.
Rain in Phoenix is always a reason to celebrate, it cleans everything. The forecast is for us to get fully one half of our total yearly rainfall in this one storm system over three days. It has been dry for a while and the ground is hard, so this is likely to cause serious flooding. Lots of rain all of a sudden in the desert is not necessarily a good thing as there is nowhere for it to go (because the soil won't absorb it), so it just "flows downhill". You don't want to BE downhill...