PHOENIX — If your phone was blowing up with warnings and alerts Wednesday night, you were not alone.
The National Weather Service issued both a dust storm warning and a flash flood warning for the Phoenix area.
The storms led to thousands of people getting their power knocked out, according to the APS and SRP outage maps.
Our crews are working as safely and quickly as possible to have power restored. Please check our outage map for updates and restoration times: srpnet.com/outagemap
The dust storm warning was in effect for parts of Maricopa and Pinal counties until 8:45 p.m.
The cities impacted included Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Glendale, Gilbert, Tempe, Avondale, Goodyear, Buckeye, Casa Grande, Paradise Valley and Laveen.
Mark O’Malley with the National Weather Service told KTAR News 92.3 FM said thunderstorms were creating strong winds, blowing dust and localized heavy rains.
Drivers were warned to expect visibility of less than a quarter mile with winds in excess of 40 mph. They were encouraged to avoid driving in the storms or pull over if they are caught in one.
“It’s not worth risking your life to drive through the dust,” O’Malley said.
An area of dust was seen extending from Laveen to Tempe to the Superstition Springs Mall at 20 mph around 7:40 p.m.
A flash flood warning was also issued for Maricopa County in south central Arizona until 11:30 p.m.
Storms were seen moving into the area around 7:20 p.m. and flash flood was expected to begin.
The areas affected included north Phoenix, north Scottsdale, Fountain Hills, Cave Creek and Carefree.
Drivers were encouraged to not be on the road during this time.
Pima Road in Scottsdale was also closed between Princess Drive and Legacy due to storm damage, Scottsdale police said.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Ashley Flood contributed to this report.