Bird, storm black out thousands

The double whammies just hours apart Saturday caused more than 50,000 Tucson Electric Power customers to lose service across Tucson.

Utility crews were stretched across the city through the night, trying to restore power to homes and businesses, some of which had to close early.

Power lines and trees were brought down by the strong winds for a second day in a row, and a mobile-home park had to be evacuated because of a hanging utility pole.

Several major intersections on the South Side were closed late Saturday as nearly two dozen utility poles were snapped by the wind.

One car was entangled in downed lines, but no injuries were reported.

The storms barely sprinkled the Tucson area with rain, and forecasters predicted more of the same today with temperatures continuing to climb into triple digits.

Today might be the hottest day so far this year. Saturday's high in Tucson reached 105 degrees.

Errant bird flies into substation

The first power outage occurred at about 4:15 p.m. when a bird flew into a TEP substation and caused a short, cutting the power to areas stretching from Midtown to the South Side, said Joe Salkowski, a utility spokesman.

More than 35,000 customers lost power for about an hour in an area bounded by Speedway on the north, Wilmot Road on the east, Valencia Road on the south and the Tucson Mountains on the west.

Several traffic lights on the South Side were out for about 30 minutes because of the outage, said Sgt. Mark Robinson, a Tucson police spokesman.

Those lights were out in an area bounded by 22nd Street on the north, Sixth Avenue on the east, Irvington Road on the south and 12th Avenue on the west.

Storms down lines

A few hours later, fast-moving thunderstorms ripped through Tucson, bringing winds that brought down power lines and left more than 12,000 customers without electricity.

That outage primarily affected the area near the Tucson Mall as well as the South Side, Salkowski said.

In another outage, 12,000 customers were without electricity late Saturday in an area generally west of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Salkowski said.

The storm knocked down 23 poles along Contractor's Way, just west of Davis-Monthan, strewing power lines on top of several businesses, Salkowski said.

The storm created a busy night for emergency crews as well, though no major injuries were reported.

The Tucson Fire Department received 40 storm-related calls in about 90 minutes, said Capt. Paul McDonough, a Tucson Fire spokesman.

Firefighters tried to clear the lines from roads and rooftops, McDonough said. Some lines still had power and were arcing, he said.

Also, three families were evacuated from a mobile-home park in the 1200 block of West Miracle Mile after a utility pole cracked and was leaning over several homes in the park.

The evacuees were able to stay with relatives or friends for the evening, McDonough said.

When the outage hit, some businesses just closed.

The Century Theaters at West Grant and I-10 were completely in the dark. Patrons were given vouchers to return another day.

Parts of the Tucson Mall lost electricity in the storm. Some businesses along North Oracle Road near the mall were also without power Saturday night.

The Tony Roma's restaurant outside the mall remained open, as did the nearby Funtasticks amusement park.

Moisture still a rarity

While the storms brought wind and dark clouds, they dropped precious little moisture on Tucson, said Craig Shoemaker, a meteorologist.

Tucson recorded only trace amounts of rain, Shoemaker said.

Areas near Sabino Canyon and Davis-Monthan received slightly more rain, he said.

The dry, hot weather is expected to continue through today, as temperatures climb to 106 degrees, he said.

This afternoon could see more thunderstorms like Saturday's, bringing the possibility of more heavy winds and lightning.

While the weekend's storms might have felt like monsoon storms, the summer rainy season is still about a month away.

The small, powerful storms are caused by moisture trapped underneath high pressure, Shoemaker said.

The moisture builds over nearby mountains until winds push them into Tucson. The clouds dump a lot of rain, but because it is so dry, most of it evaporates before hitting the ground.

The moisture rapidly cools the air, creating a powerful wind that heads toward the ground at up to 60 mph, he said.

Shoemaker said there is an increased chance of rain as the week progresses.

The highs Monday and Tuesday are also expected to reach 106 degrees. It'll remain above 100 for the rest of the week, according to the National Weather Service.