Golf-Ball Hail Damages Homes in Arizona as Flood Risk Grows in Phoenix
A powerful storm system that moved through Arizona on October 21 brought hail the size of golf balls to parts of the state, damaging homes and shattering windows. Forecasters now say the greatest threat in the Phoenix area is flooding.
The storms also brought damaging wind gusts to parts of northern and central Arizona, according to the Associated Press. In Phoenix's North Mountain area, hail struck cars and homes around 3:30 p.m. Video from the city showed people sheltering inside a car while hail hit the windscreen, as reported by the BBC. Metro Phoenix residents also recorded footage of the hail, AZCentral reported.
The National Weather Service issued multiple warnings and tornado watches as the storms crossed the region. Its Severe Thunderstorm Watch for parts of Arizona ran until 11 a.m. Mountain Standard Time on Thursday, October 22. The watch listed wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour, hail up to 2 inches in diameter, an isolated weak tornado and heavy rainfall as hazards. The Storm Prediction Center placed portions of the Phoenix area in a Marginal to Slight risk for severe weather on the same day. Marginal and Slight are the two lowest of the center's five risk levels.
A separate Flood Watch, which means flooding is possible, remained in effect for the Phoenix metro area and higher terrain through the afternoon of October 22, according to the National Weather Service. Mark O'Malley said the greatest threat to the Phoenix metro area is heavy rainfall and flash flooding, which is flooding that rises quickly after a storm, tonight and Thursday morning.
The hail followed earlier storms this week. On October 20, a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for the Phoenix area, with hail damage to cars expected. Officials had warned of hail as large as 1 inch, and quarter-sized hail fell across metro Phoenix that day. Heavy hail also hit Mesa on Tuesday night as a thunderstorm moved over the Phoenix area.
The National Weather Service Phoenix office lists October 5, 2010 as the day of the largest hail recorded in Phoenix, according to its records.
