PHOENIX — Firefighters pulled six people from four flooded cars near 40th Street and Camelback Road on Friday night as storms dumped up to 3 inches of rain on parts of the Valley, authorities said.
Phoenix Fire Department crews arrived around 6:30 p.m. and used a “shallow water entry” technique to reach the vehicles, with water nearly up to the windows, KTAR News reported. None of the six people needed to go to the hospital. That area got nearly half an inch of rain in about three hours.
In Scottsdale, firefighters responded to at least six vehicles trapped in floodwater, including cars near McCormick Parkway and Scottsdale Road and one in a wash south of Doubletree Ranch Road, ABC15 reported. “Two inches of water will sweep you off your feet, and then two to four inches of water, up to six inches of water, will move an SUV,” Scottsdale Fire Capt. Scott Folio said.
Parts of Paradise Valley received 2 to 3 inches of rain between 5 and 8 p.m., while much of north Scottsdale got 1 to 2 inches, according to KTAR News. More than 5,000 SRP and APS customers lost power at the peak, and about 1,000 APS customers were still out around 9 p.m.
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport had a ground stop earlier in the day and logged nearly 800 delays and seven cancellations, according to FlightAware data cited by KTAR News.
The storm also washed out a Scottsdale high school senior night: the Chaparral-Horizon football game was called off after the field flooded, Arizona’s Family reported.
Forecasters expected a drier stretch into Saturday afternoon, with rain returning Saturday evening, just as trick-or-treaters head out, and continuing Sunday. Officials urge drivers never to enter flooded roads or washes.
Sources: KTAR News, ABC15, KTAR News, Arizona’s Family. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Sripathroy / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.
