July 14, 2002: Phoenix was hit with a triple-whammy when a major dust storm with 40-65 mile-per-hour straight line winds hit the city. At the same time, a series of microbursts of 100 miles per hour winds hit Sky Harbor International Airport, causing an estimated $70 million in damages. Finally, flash flooding hit the central Phoenix area hard.
July 14, 2001: Extreme rain hit Phoenix, Paradise Valley and Scottsdale and trapped people in their cars. Microbursts knocked down trees and damaged many homes.
August 12, 1997: A monsoon thunderstorm produced a flash flood in a slot canyon near Lake Powell. The story made international news when eleven European hikers were swept to their deaths. A camera recovered after the event revealed a 50-to-80 foot wall of water sweeping through the canyon.
August 14, 1996: This one was called the costliest storm in Arizona history. A severe thunderstorm and downburst hit the northwest portion of the Phoenix metro area - causing $160 million in damages. An Arizona record wind gust of 115 miles per hour was recorded at the Deer Valley Airport. A few locations were without power for several days.
