PHOENIX — More than 40,000 residents across the Phoenix area were left without electricity Monday evening as powerful thunderstorms swept through the Valley, bringing dust, rain, lightning and strong winds.
Salt River Project (SRP) and Arizona Public Service (APS) both reported significant outages beginning around 6:20 p.m., with multiple incidents each impacting over 1,000 customers. SRP officials said storm activity had damaged parts of the grid, while APS confirmed equipment failures tied to severe weather.
SRP’s outage map showed more than 20 major service interruptions by 6:45 p.m., with large clusters reported in Phoenix, Mesa, Glendale, Tempe, Chandler, Scottsdale, Tolleson and Peoria. Nine outages were concentrated in Phoenix alone, while Mesa accounted for four additional widespread blackouts.
APS reported at least four large outages at the same time, along with seven smaller ones that left hundreds of customers in the dark. Crews worked through the night, restoring most of the large outages by 10 p.m. Though some areas regained power quickly, a few neighborhoods weren’t expected to see service return until the early morning hours.
By early Tuesday, fewer than 200 customers between APS and SRP remained without power. Utility companies said crews would continue monitoring equipment throughout the week as more storms remain in the forecast.
