Southern Arizona welcomed autumn with some fierce weather.
In a two-minute span late Monday night, a tornado seriously damaged homes, power lines and trees in the Willcox area, the National Weather Service said Tuesday.
The tornado, which reached winds of around 90 to 100 miles per hour, touched down around 9:25 p.m in the small town east of Tucson. The tornado injured two people during its 1.75 miles of travel.
A Cochise County Sheriffβs Office search and rescue team responded to at least three seriously damaged homes to rescue residents possibly trapped inside. Two hours later, all occupants inside the homes were accounted for, a Sheriffβs Office news release said.
By Tuesday afternoon, the Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Red Cross was in the area to aid those in need and access the damage.
The back-to-back severe weather days, partly due to remnants of Hurricane Lorena, ensured most areas of Southern Arizona were under flash flood and severe thunderstorms warnings for at least part of Tuesday. The weather conditions also prompted a tornado warning for the Sells area around 9:15 a.m.
The storms kept Pima County officials busy alerting residents of closed roads due to running water and in Tucson, electrical engineers were dispatched to fix several weather-related power outages.
Tucson firefighters were called to at least two swift-water rescues Tuesday. One of those called involved a teen who was stuck in a wash just east of Harrison Road. Crews were able to walk out to the teen, who only had a few scrapes.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service reported rainfall totals between 0.4 to 0.75 inches across the Tucson metropolitan area, 2 to 3 inches in the Vail and Corona de Tucson area, and 1 to 2 inches in the Catalina, Rincon and Santa Rita mountains.
So far this September, Tucson has received 2.21 inches of rain β the 26th wettest on record β compared to 1.29 inches last year, the National Weather Service said.
However, the 2019 monsoon season has been the 45th driest on record.
In Maricopa and Pinal counties, residents were dealing with some damages after the storm dumped around 5 inches of rain in Apache Junction, Tempe, Mesa and Gilbert, the Associated Press reported.
The Superstition Fire and Medical District in Apache Junction reported at least six swift water rescues Monday.
There is a strong chance of storms the next two days in Tucson before drier conditions arrive Friday and continue into the weekend. The National Weather Service says temperatures should remain in the low-to-mid 80s during this time.
