Dust storms, then thunderstorms for Pinal and Maricopa counties
The National Weather Service issued dust and thunderstorm warnings on Wednesday night for Pinal County and Maricopa County.
Jared Heil, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix said that Arizona residents saw widespread dust in Pinal County and some residents around Chandler and Ahwatukee areas also saw dust.
The National Weather Service states that there will be a thunderstorm warning until 11 p.m. Wednesday evening, with a severe thunderstorm warning near Gilbert and Mesa until 9:15 p.m.
8:30PM - Video update on a severe thunderstorm warning near Gilbert & Mesa until 9:15PM MST. #AZwx pic.twitter.com/STWMdibXWx
— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) July 14, 2022
Many southeast counties, including Pinal and Maricopa County will experience around two inches of rain and a possibility of minor flooding, according to Iowa State University's Iowa Environmental Mesonet.
The Arizona Department of Transportation states that drivers should slow down on wet pavement and not to drive into flooded washes or roads.
Blowing dust is dropping visibility to less than a mile in many parts of the Valley.
Do not drive into the storm. If you're caught in it, pull aside, turn off your lights and wait for it to pass.#azwx #PullAsideStayAlive pic.twitter.com/3qMsgWQ2oW— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) July 14, 2022
The National Weather Service stated that there is one quarter mile of visibility and a wind gust of 40 miles per hour.
The dust storm warning lasted until 7:45 p.m. The dust was first spotted north of Maricopa and continued to move near San Tan Mountain Park. Chandler, Tempe, Avondale, Goodyear and Buckeye among other locations were impacted, according to the weather service.
Reach Breaking News Reporter Jodicee Arianna at Jodicee.Harris@gannett.com. Support local journalism, subscribe to https://www.azcentral.com/.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Dust storm and Thunderstorm warning for Pinal, Maricopa counties
