Stormy weather expected through weekend (with video)

Yumans may have been jolted out of their beds when a severe thunderstorm struck the area early Friday, but the community apparently weathered the storm fairly well.

However, the community is advised to "stay tuned" as the potential remains for more storm activity through the weekend.

A quarter-inch of rain and wind gusts of up to 57 mph were recorded at the Yuma International Airport in the storm that struck Yuma about 12:45 a.m. Friday, said Chris Breckenridge, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix.

The storm was part of a severe weather pattern that developed over the Phoenix area, brought almost an inch of rain, flooding and 75 mph wind gusts to south-central Arizona and spread westward to Yuma, Breckenridge said. "It was a very impressive and long-lived series of storms."

And more of the same could be on its way.

Breckenridge said there is a potential for continued severe thunderstorm activity through Sunday that could hit Yuma.

"I think it will be an interesting weekend," he said. "There's dynamics in the atmosphere and moisture with the potential for heavy rain and strong winds of 60 mph or more."

With Friday's storm, there were some broken tree branches and scattered power outages but no reports of flooded streets or major damage, according to Yuma officials.

Donna Phipps, spokeswoman for Arizona Public Service Co., reported that about 1,000 customers were affected by power outages scattered from Laguna Dam Road to the city. Other customers were impacted along Avenue F south of County 18th Street and Highway 95 east of Avenue 9E.

By early Friday morning, power had been restored to most of the customers, Phipps said.

The lights were still off, however, at Woodard Junior High School, where students and teachers were sent home shortly after arriving for school Friday.

Parents were notified and transportation was provided, with school personnel ensuring that all students returned home safely, said Darwin Stiffler, Yuma Elementary School District 1 superintendent. "I'm really proud of how the staff and students at Woodard handled the situation."

Phipps estimated that power would be fully restored to the school by early Friday afternoon.

Crews also were working at 19th Street and 3rd Avenue near WOW Electronics, where a dip pole was damaged. Phipps explained that a dip pole is one that has a line running from it to the ground, where it connects with a transformer.

Because of the extent of the damage to that system, power for the building was expected to be out for much of Friday, and APS was delivering dry ice to the day-care center located there, she said.

Greg Hyland, spokesman for the city of Yuma, said there were some downed tree branches around the city but no significant damage or street flooding.

The storm also hit Somerton and flooded streets there, but not with the strength of the July 20 storm, said Francisco Foto, Somerton street superintendent.

Roofers have been busy since that storm fixing leaking roofs, said Mayra Hernandez, an employee for Lines and Lundgreen Roofing and Insulation. Friday's storm once again had the company's phones ringing.

By 10 a.m. Friday, the business had already received from 15 to 20 calls, she said. This time around, more of the calls were about wind damage than leaks.

At the Hospice of Yuma thrift store, 1808 S. 8th Ave., manager Dorothy Toney breathed a sigh of relief that repairs to the shop's roof had been completed. The store had suffered considerable damage during the July storm.

There also was good news Friday morning for the dove hunting season that opens Monday.

"We've still got doves," said Bruce Weeks, an employee of Sprague's Sports. "I was out this morning and there are still lots of birds."

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Joyce Lobeck can be reached at jlobeck@yumasun.com or 539-6853.