Arizona is hit by huge MONSOON which saw Phoenix battered by torrential rain, and whipped by wind that uprooted trees and destroyed planes – days after breaking 110F heatwave record

A monsoon moved through parts of Arizona Tuesday night, drenching Phoenix and unleashing winds that downed powerful power lines and caused light aircraft to flip on their sides.

The intense rainfall came three days after Phoenix set a new heat record, with temperatures reaching 110F for the 54th day this year on Saturday.

Tuesday’s monsoon didn’t bring large amounts of rain — as of 8 a.m. Wednesday, Horseshoe Lake had recorded 2.32 inches in the previous 24 hours, while one spot in Mesa recorded 2.5 inches of rain — but the rain fell in a short period of time, drenching Arizona residents.

Videos shared on social media showed downed power lines, falling trees and people sheltering from the downpour.

At the height of the outages, more than 32,000 SRP and APS customers were without power on Tuesday evening.

Tuesday evening was hit by heavy storms in Arizona, with strong winds

A plane is pictured flipped onto its roof at Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona

A helicopter company facility was damaged Tuesday in Mesa, Arizona

More than an inch of rain fell on the runway at Falcon Field in Mesa, but planes were seen flipping and buildings being torn apart.

One person shared a video on social media of a palm tree being uprooted and falling on parked cars.

No one was injured, but flash flood warnings were in effect overnight.

Some roads near Roosevelt Lake remained closed Wednesday morning.

The heavy rain came as Americans living on the East Coast anxiously watched Hurricane Lee’s path.

As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center forecast that the storm would reach northern Maine by mid-afternoon Saturday before turning east and heading toward the Canadian Maritime Territories — the three easternmost provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward. Island.

And the rain came after a summer of scorching heat in Arizona.

According to the World Meteorological Organization, last month was the warmest August on record worldwide.

Scientists blame human-induced climate change for an extra boost from the natural El Nino, a temporary warming of parts of the Pacific Ocean that is changing the weather around the world.

As of Saturday, Phoenix has counted 104 days with temperatures above 100 F this year, said Matt Salerno, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

That compares to the average of 111 triple-digit days per year between 1991 and 2020.

Dozens of people cool off in the waters of Oak Creek in Sedona, Arizona, at Slide Rock State Park

The sun silhouettes the air traffic control tower at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

Maricopa County, home to Phoenix and Arizona’s most populous county, also appears headed for an annual record for heat-related deaths.

County public health officials have confirmed 194 heat-related deaths this year as of Sept. 2.

Another 351 cases are under investigation.

Last year there were 425 heat-related deaths.

Fire Department EMT personnel assist a man who collapsed during a 27-day heat wave with temperatures over 110 degrees Fahrenheit

Earth has endured the Northern Hemisphere’s hottest summer on record, with a record warm August capping off a season of brutal and deadly temperatures, the World Meteorological Organization said.

August was about 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than pre-industrial averages.

That’s the threshold the world is trying not to cross, although scientists are more concerned about temperature increases over decades, not just a temperature increase over a month.

The world’s oceans – more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface – were the hottest on record, almost 69.8 F, and have reached high temperatures for three consecutive months, according to the WMO and Copernicus.

“The dog days of summer aren’t all barking, they’re biting,” said Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations.

‘The breakdown of the climate has begun.’