Fifth wettest day in Tucson's history snarls traffic, cuts power | News

A storm hit Tucson Thursday afternoon causing transportation delays, power outages and road closures mainly on the South side.

As of 3 p.m., there are about 300 customers without power, primarily on the South side, according to a Tucson Electric Power spokesperson.

Tucson International Airport also experienced a power outage. The back-up generator is on, but there are still some planes waiting to take-off on the runway. Two flights, one Southwest and one Sky West, were re-routed to Phoenix. There are some buildings at the airport still without power.

The Sunnyside School District buses are running late. There is flooding in the area that is causing the delay. The Sunnyside schools were also affected by the outage.

A man was spotted clinging to a bridge support in the Santa Cruz River near Grant Road at about 3:30 p.m., authorities said. Rescue crews tried to reach the man, but a rescue line came up about a foot short. The water continued to rise, and the man was carried away. Crews continued to search the river for him, as far north as Camino del Cerro.

As of 4 p.m. 2.83 inches of rain had fallen at Tucson International Airport. This is a record amount of rain for Sept. 15. It's the second wettest September day on record and the fifth wettest day ever.

The 5.56 inches of rain this month make it the wettest September on record, breaking the old record of 5.11 inches in 1964.

The  8.58 inches since June 15 ranks as the 10th wettest monsoon on record.

Road closures throughout Tucson:

• Los Reales Rd east of Alvernon Way to Swan Rd
• Contractors Way from Irvington Rd north to Ajo Way
• Summit Street at the Franco Wash
• Old Vail Connection Road at the Franco Wash
• Bonney Avenue at the Earp Wash
• Masterson Avenue at the Earp Wash
• Country Club Road at Dawson Road
• Old Nogales Hwy south of Summit St
• Contractors Way north of Ajo Way City Limits
• Dawson Rd between Alvernon Wy and Irving Ave.
• Wilmot Rd - betwn Noyes St and Andrada Rd
• Drexel Rd east of Palo Verde Rd
• Drexel Rd west of Palo Verde Rd
• Irving Drive @ Dover Stravenue
• Milton Road @ Leslie Avenue
• Alvord Road @ Garrett Avenue

Areas where caution should be used:

• Overton Road at the Canada Del Oro Wash
• Fort Lowell Rd at the Agua Caliente Wash
• Andrada Rd - Reta Rd to Calle Rinconado
• Mark Road between Jeffery Road to Los Reales Road
• Limberlost at the Agua Caliente Wash
• La Cholla Blvd at the Canada Del Oro Wash
• Soldier Trail at the Agua Caliente Wash
• Wentworth Road at Tanque Verde Creek
• Trico Rd from Trico Marana to Hardin Rd
• Reservation Rd between Manville Road and Mile Wide Road
• Pump Station Road between Avra Valley Road and El Tiro Road
• Snyder Rd. between Catalina Highway and Soldiers Trail
• Tanque Verde Loop Rd at Tanque Verde Creek
• Sahuarita Road east of Alvernon Way
• Silverbell Rd, between El Camino Del Cerro and Ina Road
• Wilmot Road from Sahuarita Rd to Noyes St.
• Manville Rd between Avra Rd and Reservation Rd at the Brawley Wash
• Calle Rinconado south of Andrada Rd
• Old Nogales Hwy @ Sawmill Canyon Wash crossing
• Whitehouse Canyon Rd - 1st dip south of Valle De Las Rosas
• Alvernon Way - Sahuarita Road to Dawson Road
• Hawser St east of Twin Lakes Dr - ponding water in road
• Redington Rd at the base of the road (MP 3)
• Snyder Hill Road at end of pavement to Sandario Road
• Redington Rd btwn MP26 and MP28
• Bopp Road between San Joaquin Road to Kinney Road
• Old Spanish Trail - Coyote Creek Ranch RD to Colossal Cave Park entrance
• Santa Rita Rd at end of pavement
• Santa Rita Rd at the entrance to Imery's Marble Mine

Tucson Fire is on the scene of a swift-water rescue on Valencia, between 12th Avenue and Nogales Highway.

Earlier in the afternoon there were about 2,800 people without power on the far South side of Tucson near Pima Mine Road. Customers affected by that outage were only without power for approximately an hour and a half.

We are getting some great SEE IT, SNAP IT, SEND IT pictures of the storm from our viewers! You can check them all out on the KOLD Monsoon 2011 gallery at pics.kold.com. Remember if you have any photos or videos, send to our newsroom at pics@kold.com!