2023 has already set a record for billion-dollar disasters in the US
There have been 23 extreme weather events so far this year that caused $1 billion or more in losses.
LEARN MOREPosted: 3:40 p.m. EDT Sep 13, 2023
Strong storms moved through the Phoenix area Tuesday night, leaving a trail of destruction.
At Falcon Field Airport, strong winds flipped planes and ripped buildings apart.
Falcon Field received more than an inch of rain, according to the Flood Control District of Maricopa County.
In Phoenix, thousands of people were without power for hours.
A homeowner said a neighbor saw a lightning strike before a massive tree fell onto her house. Barbra Palmer and her family were not injured. She said they were, fortunately, in another part of the house when the tree came crashing down.
The massive limbs caused cracks in her ceiling and carport but an oddly grown limb hit the ground first and is holding up the main trunk, keeping it from doing further damage.
Palmer says the tree was a "teenager" when they moved in next door more than 50 years ago. She says the owners of the property the tree sits on live out of town, but have been notified.
The storm was moving its way west and out of the Phoenix area Wednesday morning. However, areas to the west could still see heavy rain and flooding, the National Weather Service warned.
This story was originally published by Nohelani Graf and Ashley Loose at Scripps News Phoenix.
