NWS confirms tornado did touch down north of the Valley
CAVE CREEK, Ariz. - Officials with the National Weather Service confirmed with FOX 10 Monday night that a tornado touched down north of the Valley Monday afternoon.
During the day, viewers sent video of the tornado to the newsroom.
On Monday, many parts of the Valley were battered by a storm that brought rain and severe weather. A Tornado Warning was issued by the National Weather Service's office in Phoenix in the Carefree and Cave Creek area Monday, which prompted school officials in Cave Creek to order those at two of their schools to shelter in place.
School officials made the announcement on its Facebook page. The shelter in place order affects the school district's main office, as well as Black Mountain Elementary School and Cactus Shadows High School.
Courtesy: Fredda Psaltis
The warning, according to a tweet issued by Weather Nation, is the first such warning issued by the National Weather Service in five years. The warning expired at 12:45 p.m., and was not extended.A storm system on Monday brought heavy rain to parts of the Valley, flooding roads and leaving residents awaiting rescue. As much as 5 inches of rain fell on suburbs east of Phoenix Monday including Apache Junction, Tempe, Gilbert and Mesa.
Courtesy: Mindee A.
Jessica Dewey watched as this dark black cloud hovered over her home in New River.
"It was pitch black," said Dewey. "It look like a tornado. Looks like a twisty sort of cloud that comes down."