Special Weather Statement

NORTHWEST MARICOPA COUNTY-GREATER PHOENIX AREA- SOUTHERN GILA COUNTY/TONTO NATIONAL FOREST FOOTHILLS- SOUTHWEST MARICOPA COUNTY- NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL PINAL COUNTY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...LAKE PLEASANT...MORRISTOWN... NEW RIVER... TONOPAH...BUCKEYE...WICKENBURG... CAREFREE... CAVE CREEK...CHANDLER... FOUNTAIN HILLS...GILBERT...GLENDALE... MESA...PEORIA...PHOENIX...SCOTTSDALE... SUN CITY...TEMPE...GLOBE... MIAMI... SAN CARLOS...SUPERIOR...ALSO INCLUDING APACHE... BARTLETT...CANYON... HORSESHOE...ROOSEVELT...AND SAGUARO LAKES... GILA BEND...APACHE JUNCTION... CASA GRANDE...COOLIDGE...FLORENCE 505 PM MST FRI JUL 4 2008

...STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA THIS EVENING...

AT 5 PM...WEATHER RADAR DETECTED NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN YAVAPAI COUNTY...WESTERN GILA COUNTY... SOUTHEAST PINAL COUNTY...AND SOUTHWEST MARICOPA COUNTY. A FEW OF THESE STORMS HAVE BEEN SEVERE. GUST FRONTS GENERATED BY THESE STORMS WILL PUSH TOWARD THE LOWER DESERT OF SOUTH- CENTRAL ARIZONA LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER...AND TRIGGER SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS.

THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH... DENSE BLOWING DUST...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...SMALL HAIL...AND INTENSE CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING...ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER MUCH OF SOUTH- CENTRAL ARIZONA...INCLUDING THE GREATER PHOENIX METROPOLITAN AREA... MAINLY BETWEEN 7 AND 10 PM.

IF YOU PLAN TO BE OUTDOORS THIS EVENING...PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE WEATHER...AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE INDOORS TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA.