Torrential Rain Lashes Arizona Backyard as Rare Storm Strikes

Torrential rain hammered a backyard pool and gale-force winds bent the trees as a powerful storm system swept across Arizona on Wednesday, October 21.

Footage filmed by X user NoChildAbuse69 from under a covered patio shows the pool surface churning violently under the downpour while a thick sheet of water pours off the roof. Rain blows sideways across the yard, trees and palms sway hard in the wind, and the gray sky all but hides the neighboring houses. The filmer posted the clip shortly before 4 p.m. local time, saying the worst of the storm passed almost directly over the area, and added that “storms like these are pretty rare.”

The National Weather Service in Phoenix issued severe thunderstorm warnings for parts of Maricopa County that afternoon, with golf ball-size hail and 60 mph wind gusts possible. A flood watch covered the entire Phoenix metro area through Thursday, with rain rates of up to 1 to 2 inches per hour possible, while northern Arizona was under the state’s first tornado watch since 2010.

The storms followed a damaging night in Mesa, where trees were uprooted, light poles came down and roofs were damaged on Tuesday.