Just when the aforeblogged severe thunderstorm cell seemed to be weakening, an enormous line of thunderstorms popped into existence, out of nowhere, and is now stretched across the Valley just south of us. The entire southern sky is lit up with frequent, vivid lightning. Amazing!
Also, I think the storms may have taken out the radar, which hasn’t updated in over 40 minutes. (UPDATE: Yup.)
P.S. Although the Phoenix radar is down, the long-range Tucson radar still gives a general (if lower-resolution) idea of what’s going on.
UPDATE: Here’s another radar view.
The “Newshawk 5″ helicopter reporter for KPHO is calling this “one of the largest electrical storms I have seen in years come through the Valley.”
8,000 customers without power right now.
There was a microburst in Scottsdale with winds in excess of 80 mph.
Severe street flooding.
Where we are, in Glendale, there has been very little rain or nearby lightning strikes, and only a mild breeze. We were sort of like a hole in a donut of storms. But we got a great view of the lightning all around us!
Lightning map here.
UPDATE, 10:23 PM: Now 20,000 without power, according to KPHO.
UPDATE, 10:45 PM: Here’s a pair of videos I took — one while standing in our parking lot, one while walking down the street — that give you some idea how frequent the lightning was (though it was even more frequent at the storm’s peak):
And here are a few more lightning photos:
UPDATE, 10:50 PM: I keep talking about this storm in the past tense, but in reality it’s still happening. In fact, we’re just now finally getting some serious rain and loud thunder (i.e., from nearby lightning) here in Glendale. I just hope we don’t lose power…
UPDATE, 10:58 PM: The NWS Phoenix radar is back online. You can see orange-colored radar echoes directly over Glendale, which is the storm we’re getting right tnow.
UPDATE, 11:15 PM: It looks like the storms’ direction has changed (again), and the cells in North Scottsdale are now headed this way. It could be a long, noisy night in Glendale.
July 25th, 2006 at 10:22:03 pm
“…an enormous line of thunderstorms popped into existence, out of nowhere…”
“Thanks for Nothing.” ~ K.C. Cole, Sciencewriter, L.A. Times. [And You GAVE
me her book, about The Vacuum, yer BFG ~ and No, gentle otherReaders, it had Nada to Do with yer ould Housecleaning via yer Electroluxii :]
Wouldyezall just Wink on Outta there, yez silly tiddleyWinks, ’til the mighty Electricostorm doth Pass? / ThankyouseKindly. :/
July 26th, 2006 at 9:05:33 am
Dude, that crappy video doesn’t do the storm justice.
July 26th, 2006 at 11:14:01 am
Did you see the new War of the Worlds??
I’d be looking out for some alien pods to pop up out of the desert pretty soon.
July 26th, 2006 at 11:06:12 pm
Wait…it rains in Arizona?
July 28th, 2006 at 3:50:55 am
I had travelled down to Phoenix Valley for a couple of days and witnessed this storm first hand.
Personally, I had not seen anything like it in the UK. It was 10\10 on the wow factor although my other half was a bit concerned. I was half expecting to see Doc Brown and Marty hooking up a delorean!
Word of note to my travel advisor at American Sky - US Travel Specialists (Who I have say was awesome!) Could I not have had a full weather report for my 8 weeks away!
It would have been the finishing touch!