PHOENIX — The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a special weather statement for portions of the Valley on Tuesday.
NWS put out an advisory for Mesa and Gilbert regarding 40 mph winds just after 4 p.m. and advised Arizonans to “seek shelter in a sturdy structure.” The advisory is expected to be in place until 4:45 p.m.
Not long after, the weather service posted about a strong thunderstorm making its way through portions of Mesa and told residents to prepare for gusts in excess of 40 mph and brief heavy downpours.
The weather authority also issued an advisory for Glendale and Tolleson in the West Valley. NWS said that a thunderstorm cell would impact the Glendale area with winds and torrential downpours.
It appears the showers and storms, including embedded lightning strikes, started around 3:30 p.m. in portions of the northwest Pinal County, then continued moving northwest and began affecting parts of Chandler and areas near Sky Harbor airport.
How long is the weather advisory supposed to last?
The weather advisory for Mesa and Gilbert is expected to end just before 5 p.m. and the one for Glendale and Tolleson is in place until 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
On Monday, Tom Frieders with NWS told KTAR News 92.3 FM that it was likely that shower would scatter rain across the Valley for the next few days but that things should start drying out on Wednesday.
Light showers on Monday morning turned into a minor dust storm Monday evening that made its way through south and central portions of metro Phoenix.
Frieder said that only portions of the Valley would be affected by the rain.
“With showers through Tuesday, not everybody’s going to see rainfall, but we’re looking at 30% to 40% coverage,” Frieders said.
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