Rosa dumps record rainfall across Valley
Tropical storm spurs flooding, rescues
Phoenix broke rainfall records on Tuesday as the remnants of Hurricane Rosa officially dumped more than 2 inches of rain, flooding streets and freeways, forcing several motorist rescues and causing water to flow through washes and out of Tempe Town Lake.
According to the National Weather Service, 2.36 inches of rainfall officially had fallen at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport by early Tuesday evening. Continuing rainfall held out the possibility of even more before day’s end.
The rainfall total marked enough to make Tuesday not only the rainiest Oct. 2 in Phoenix weather history, but the second-wettest October day ever. And, for good measure, it also was enough to make the day the eighth-wettest of all time, according to the National Weather Service.
But Rosa’s place in history didn’t stop
there. Rainfall numbers for Monday and Tuesday had already combined to make for the third-rainiest October in Phoenix history, with 2.68 inches beating out the 2.66 inches recorded in October 1957.
“Rosa brought more rain in just the past two days (Monday and Tuesday) then what we saw for the monsoon season this year,” said Andrew Deemer, a meteorologist with the National Weather service in Phoenix.
Phoenix recorded 2.56 inches of rain during the official monsoon from June 15 to Sept. 30, he said.
Tuesday’s rain differed from a monsoon in that it did not bring widespread wind and lightning, but a steady, prolonged rainfall in many areas. The heaviest rain began late Monday into early Tuesday, with Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport reporting that 1.53 inches had fallen by 8:22 a.m.
Flash flooding began and lasted most of the day throughout various areas of the Valley near washes and drains. State Route 238 was closed between Maricopa and Gila Bend.
By Tuesday afternoon, the Indian Bend Wash in Scottsdale, normally a lengthy system of parks, golf courses and bicycle paths, was filled with flowing water, serving the purpose for which it was built and causing roads that run through it in the city to close. At one point, the wash was running so heavily, it forced a partial closure of Hayden Road between Camelback Road and McDonald Drive.
Kris Baxter, a spokeswoman for the city of Tempe, said Tempe Town Lake’s west side dam was functioning to allow water to flow from the dam through the Salt River bed westward, as it is designed to do. Water from the Indian Bend Wash eventually makes its way to the Salt River bed, where the lake is formed by the dam.
Elsewhere, flooding temporarily closed a portion of Interstate 17 near Peoria Avenue during Tuesday’s morning commute.
Various other roads were closed throughout the Valley, but some reopened as the rainfall began to lighten around early afternoon.
Flash flooding and heavy rainfall called for several water rescues as Valley fire crews rescued people trapped in their vehicles from floodwaters.
According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, on Tuesday morning, troopers responded to more than twice the number of rush-hour commute crashes. Between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m., troopers had tallied more than 80 Valley freeway wrecks.
Several schools also were closed due to rains and related power outages. The Maricopa County Community College District closed classes and offices by late morning.
At 35th Avenue and Cactus Road, a large sinkhole appeared in the middle of the intersection, causing the intersection to be shut down with no clear time of when the road would reopen, Phoenix officials said.
Rains continued in parts of the region on Tuesday evening, flooding a portion of State Route 51 near Cactus Road and neighborhood streets in an area west of that freeway and north of Glendale Avenue.
The remnants of Rosa were expected to finish making their way through the Phoenix area and exit today.
The storm brought cooler weather to the region Tuesday, and temperatures were expected to remain in the 80s for the rest of this week, according to the region’s forecast.