Local
Mesa storm uproots trees as northern Arizona sees six tornado warnings
Tuesday night’s storm toppled trees and damaged cars at a Mesa apartment complex before severe weather prompted six tornado warnings across parts of Coconino and Yavapai counties Wednesday morning. The warnings were based on radar-indicated rotation, not tornadoes observed on the ground.
A powerful storm brought hail, wind and rain to Mesa Tuesday night, uprooting trees at an apartment complex and damaging vehicles, as severe weather continued into Wednesday morning with six tornado warnings issued across northern Arizona.
At Talise Apartments near Gilbert Road and University Drive, a large tree fell and a branch came down on a carport, bending the structure and damaging a vehicle underneath. Other residents found trees on their cars, with windshields shattered.
“My car’s just buried underneath a tree,” one resident said, describing the overnight winds as unexpectedly intense.
The National Weather Service’s Flagstaff office issued the first three warnings around 5 a.m. Wednesday for areas in Yavapai and Coconino counties. Further warnings covered the Prescott area shortly before 8 a.m. and areas near Jerome soon afterward. A sixth warning was issued around 9:10 a.m. for Flagstaff and nearby communities, including Doney Park, Timberline and Wupatki Trails. It was set to expire at 9:45 a.m.
The warnings were triggered by rotation detected on radar, rather than a tornado confirmed by ground observers. Earlier warnings for areas including Bellemont and parts of the Flagstaff region expired after 6 a.m.; the Prescott-area warning ended at 8:15 a.m. and the Jerome-area warning at 8:45 a.m.
The storms also drew storm chasers to the state. Photographer Mike Olbinski said he had been tracking storms since about 9 p.m. Tuesday, including a supercell near Fountain Hills and another near Prescott. He said he planned to continue toward the Phoenix area later Wednesday.
The storm damage in Mesa and the warnings across northern Arizona underscored the range of hazards from the same weather system, from fallen trees and damaged cars to the threat of rotating storms. No tornado observed on the ground was reported in the information available Wednesday morning.