Powerful downburst with 80 mph winds hammers Glendale and the West Valley

GLENDALE, Ariz. (Arizona State News) -- A powerful monsoon storm packing winds of up to 80 mph battered the West Valley on Sunday night, collapsing carports, knocking out power to tens of thousands of residents, and sending giant metal culvert pipes rolling from a construction site into a neighborhood.

Glendale carport collapses

Residents of a Glendale condo near 47th and Northern avenues woke on Monday morning to significant damage in their parking lot and vehicles. Sunday's storms caused a carport to collapse, pinning at least 10 cars underneath.

The storm also ripped a massive tree from its roots, which smashed through another carport and onto the car of resident Santiago Soliz.

"It's more than likely a total loss," Soliz said. "But then again, you can't help Mother Nature."

Mobile home roofs sheared

Heavy winds sheared the roofs off several mobile homes at Palm Shadows Mobile Home Park near 51st and Glendale avenues.

Fallen trees were also seen at Apollo High School, where students had been returning for their first day back from summer break.

Giant culvert pipes crash into Avondale neighborhood

In Avondale, the high winds sent at least eight massive metal drainage culvert pipes rolling from a nearby construction site directly into a residential area. The incident occurred in the Rio Crossing neighborhood near El Mirage and Indian School roads.

The giant pipes remained resting against the damaged properties as of 10 a.m. Monday.

Widespread power outages

The storm's reach extended well beyond Glendale and Avondale. By 9:30 a.m. Monday, around 6,000 Salt River Project and Arizona Public Service customers in the Valley were still without power, with the hardest-hit areas in the West Valley. It was a significant drop from the roughly 52,000 customers who lost power around 10:30 p.m. Sunday.

Downed utility infrastructure contributed to the widespread outages, including:

• Several utility poles knocked down near 51st and Glendale avenues in Glendale
• A large utility pole downed near 7th Street and Dunlap Avenue in Phoenix
• A tree that fell onto a power line at 51st Avenue and Thomas Road in Phoenix
• Additional downed lines reported at 107th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road in Avondale

Earlier storm activity

Before the main line of storms moved through, hail was reported falling at North Mountain Park in Phoenix. A dust wall was also spotted just south of Interstate 8 in southern Maricopa County, raising concerns it could push into the greater Phoenix area.

Forecasters are calling for First Alert days through Thursday for elevated storm chances. As is typical during the monsoon, each day's activity will depend heavily on what happens the day before.