Life Coach in Paradise Valley, AZ

Cooler temperatures and more thunderstorm activity is expected to pick up again through this weekend in Arizona, according to the National Weather Service in Phoenix.

Metro Phoenix got a glimpse of what the weekend has in store, as storms moved through the metro area and brought thunderstorms and wind with it on Thursday evening.

According to the weather service, monsoon moisture will gradually increase and peak on Friday through Sunday, when heavy rain and localized flooding chances will be the highest.

"This weekend looks to be one of our better setups of the monsoon season so far, many areas across the state could be looking at really heavy rainfall amounts," said Isaac Smith, a meteorologist with the weather service in Phoenix. "Our chances for thunderstorms this weekend climb to around 80%."

By Thursday night, the northern area of Phoenix saw a half inch to an inch of rain, according to National Weather Service in Phoenix spokesperson Paul Iniguez.

Iniguez said that a "flood watch starts at 11 a.m. Friday and it continues until Saturday night while those conditions are still in play with the broader weather system."

On Thursday evening, a flash flood warning was in issued and in effect until 12:15 a.m. of Friday in Maricopa County, impacting areas north of Glendale and Peoria, according to a tweet from NWS Phoenix. The service advised residents to move to higher ground and avoid driving through flooded areas.

The weather service in Phoenix also issued a special weather statement advising 50 mph winds until 7:15 p.m. in Phoenix, Mesa and Chandler. A severe thunderstorm warning was also in effect until 7:15 p.m. for Scottsdale and Paradise Valley.

According to the Arizona Public Service outage map, central Phoenix, Buckeye, north Glendale and Casa Grande were experiencing power outages Thursday evening. At one point, over 2,000 customers were impacted in Phoenix, while several thousand in the west Valley were still without power as of 9 p.m.

"We do have crews headed over to assess the situations. We do have field personnel that are being dispatched to all of the outages," APS spokesperson Lily Quezada said.

According to Quezada, APS prepares for monsoon season all year long by being staffed with crews that can respond when storms occur throughout Arizona. "We position crews wherever we believe that is going to happen so that they are ready to respond as quickly and safely as possible," said Quezada.

The weather service in Flagstaff issued a flood watch for Coconino County effective until 11 p.m. Thursday. Another watch remains in effect from late Friday morning to Saturday evening for most of southwestern Arizona.

A shelter in place order was issued for the Mt. Elden Estates area by Flagstaff.

Weekend forecast

Temperatures were expected to cool down into the 90s by Friday and "possibly upper 80s by Saturday," the weather service said.

According to Smith, a strong moisture outflow is expected to hit the Phoenix area on Thursday evening, bringing wind speeds of over 35 mph and more storm chances that will prevail through Saturday and slightly decrease on Sunday.

Smith said the areas that will likely be most affected by rainfall and flooding this weekend are the northern and southwestern parts of the state including parts of Maricopa, Pinal, and Gila counties.

Smith advised people to be prepared for the strong monsoon conditions this weekend.

"Since it's the weekend and people may have plans, people need to stay up to date with the latest forecast, along with warnings as well in the event they end up in an area that is expecting flash flooding or heavy weather," Smith said.

He also advised drivers to travel cautiously, as they face the highest risks when it comes to flash flooding.

"If you encounter flooded roadways, remember to turn around, don't drown," he said.

Weekend traffic

More conditions affecting drivers include weekend-long closures on Phoenix-area freeways.

A stretch of eastbound Interstate 10 will close near Sky Harbor Airport, between State Route 51 and U.S. 60, and along the Broadway Curve from 10 p.m. Friday until 4 a.m. Monday, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Drivers can also expect delays on westbound Interstate 10 as they will be narrowed to two lanes between 40th Street and the Salt River Bridge near Sky Harbor from 4 a.m. Saturday to 4 a.m. Monday. The eastbound lanes of the freeway will also narrow to three lanes between Baseline and Guadalupe roads from 10 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Saturday for construction work, ADOT said.

A section of eastbound Loop 202 in the southeast Valley also is scheduled to close between Cooper Road and Val Vista Drive in the southeast Valley from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.

Schedules and restrictions could change depending on weather conditions, ADOT said.

ADOT advised drivers to plan ahead, allow extra travel time and seek alternate routes.

Reach breaking news reporter Laura Daniella Sepulveda at lsepulveda@lavozarizona.com or on Twitter @lauradNews.

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The Paradise Valley Trojans girls volleyball team returned home Tuesday to face a formidable opponent in their first regional game of the year, the Ironwood Eagles.

The Eagles defeated the Trojans in the past two meetings against them dating back to 2021 and 2020, winning both matches, 3-1.

The Trojans (3-5, 0-1 region) tried to rewrite the script but to no avail, losing 3-0. They struggled to keep up with the Eagles throughout the night, which was evident early.

While Paradise Valley took a slight lead in the first set, the Eagles came right back, tying it 5-5 and proceeded to go on a 4-0 scoring run. The Trojans would come close a couple of times, but wound up dropping the first set, 25-11.

After the break, the Eagles kept their foot on the gas and picked up right where they left off, getting the opening point in the second set. Without hesitation, the Trojans struck back to make it a quick 1-1.

The Eagles started to pull again after that, running the score up to 10-5.

With their backs against the wall, the Trojans did not give up and mounted am 6-0 scoring run led by senior Sofia Curran. Curran and the Trojans marched their way back into the game by going on a six-point scoring run to take an 11-10 lead.

Helping the scoring surge was senior Bella Valverde, who recorded two kills during this run, and senior Abby Peterson, who had a kill of her own.

Add in a block that fell for a point from junior Lauren Patentreger and two miscues from the Eagles; the Trojans seemed to be gaining momentum right when they needed it, and they had the lead.

Both teams would go back and forth trading points until the Eagles took a 15-12 lead on a 3-0 scoring run. Closing within one was the best the Trojans could do, making the score 15-14 before dropping the second set, 25-18.

“Sophia, she went on a six-serve run, and so that completely changes the dynamic of the game - that’s when we had actually tied it up.” said assistant coach Kalei Smith about the run the Trojans put together in the second set. “Again, it’s just up to them to maintain that and come ahead of that, and they just didn’t.”

Ironwood closed out Paradise Valley, 25-8, to win the match.

“I feel like we could have definitely played better,” Trojan senior Audrey Kennedy said. “We had our moments where we know we really stood out as a team, but we definitely had our moments where we could have come together better as a team, and I think that’s something we need to development mentally more.”

With the season still young, the Trojans will work to build chemistry and communication as a team.

“Throughout the game, we progressed and going with our team and building that team chemistry more, I feel like that’s something we are still working on in the season,” Peterson stated. “It is the beginning of the season, so we are developing it more. With that just communicating, we worked on it toward that second and last set, just communicating more with our back row, telling our front row where to go, and helping us out; I think that’s just a big component that we’re still working on.”

The Trojans will hit the road for their next game,Thursday against the Centennial Coyotes.

That game is set for 6 p.m. start.

As part of the Transportation 2050 program, the City of Phoenix Public Transit Department is launching a Neighborhood Transit Study (NTS) to get feedback from the community on existing neighborhood circulator routes such as the DASH, MARY, SMART and ALEX. The first phase of the study will focus on the downtown Phoenix circulator known as the Downtown Area Shuttle (DASH). ​

The new web page on phoenix.gov/neighborhoodtransit hosts plenty of information about what neighborhood transit is, how it is used and what the goals of the DASH study are. The web content also includes an interactive Story Map to view the study area and submit public comments.

As part of the study, Phoenix Public Transit is seeking community input; the public and riders are encouraged to take a brief 10-question survey to provide feedback about current and future neighborhood transit conditions in the downtown DASH Phoenix area. The survey is open through Sept. 30, 2022.

In addition, Phoenix Public Transit will hold a virtual public engagement meeting on Sept. 28, 2022 at 6 p.m. to present additional details about the study and gather community feedback. The survey is available online for those who are unable to attend the virtual event, but still want to provide feedback. ​

Website: phoenix.gov/neighborhoodtransit

Survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/MCDJ9SY

Story Map

Virtual meeting

“Phoenix voters approved Transportation 2050 in 2015 and already we’ve accomplished much including adding new bus shelters, added bus service and completing bus technology upgrades,” says Phoenix Public Transit Director Jesús Sapien. “It’s our goal to continue understanding our community’s transit needs and this study will allow us to do that.”

For more information visit phoenix.gov/neighborhoodtransit.

About Transportation 2050: In Aug. 2015, Phoenix voters approved Transportation 2050 (T2050), a 35-year citywide transportation plan. T2050 is overseen by the Citizens Transportation Commission and includes improved frequency on local bus service, new light rail service and stations and major street improvement projects. Funding for T2050 comes from a 7/10ths of a cent city sales tax that started Jan. 1, 2016. Over the life of the plan, the funds are estimated to generate about $16.7 billion, or more than half of the plan's overall cost. There will be an additional $14.8 billion in federal and county funds, passenger fares and other sources. For more information, visit the T2050 page or follow Phoenix Public Transit, Phoenix Street Transportation and Valley Metro on Twitter.

Popular Phoenix hiking trail Cholla Trail at Camelback Mountain will reopen to the public on Sept. 30, 2022. The trail has been closed due to construction and a trailhead realignment, that moves the trailhead from Cholla Lane to Invergordon Road. The new trailhead will now offer hikers amenities such as a drinking fountain, restrooms and bike racks.

Since the closure of Cholla Trail in 2020, Park Rangers, Park Stewards and a trail contractor have completed hundreds of hours of trail work to improve the upper reaches of the trail. This work included the removal of unstable boulders, significant improvements to the trail tread and the addition of trail posts and wayfinding efforts – important safety improvements for the trail.

“Knowing the public interest and popularity, I'm excited for the reopening of Cholla Trail as a safer trail experience for hikers and nearby residents," Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said. “This project is a win-win for residents and hikers alike. Yet, it is important to remember that - even with these wonderful new amenities - it is still very important to hike safely by taking the necessary precautions to avoid heat illness and hiking injuries."

“Our Cholla Trail is now ready to open. After an extensive public and development process we are now open as one of the best local trails in Arizona, if not in the United States. I want to personally thank local residents and hikers for their patience in the construction of Cholla Trail," Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio said. “The new trail will reduce foot traffic on Cholla Lane, as well as provide new amenities to hikers with a drinking fountain and bathroom."

Completing the Cholla Trail Realignment Project was a joint effort between the Parks and Recreation Department, Street Transportation Department, Phoenix Fire Department and the Town of Paradise Valley. All parties played a crucial role in making this project safe and accessible for first responders, hikers and surrounding residents.

What to Expect

Beginning Sept. 30, the trailhead will open at sunrise and close at sunset. Drinking water will be available but due to nearby residential construction, there will be no chilled water or restroom lights until power can be provided, which is expected to occur by late 2022.

Parking

Parking for Cholla Trail will continue to be along Invergordon Road which now includes dedicated spaces for rideshare services to pick-up and drop-off hikers.

Additionally, in preparation for the opening of Cholla Trail, the Phoenix Fire Department will be doing some staging as part of training exercises along Invergordon Road in the coming weeks.

Take a Hike, Do it Right

More than 200 hikers are rescued annually from City of Phoenix desert and mountain parks and preserves. This simple checklist can help keep you from becoming a statistic. Before you hike, follow the Take a Hike, Do it Right guidelines to ensure a safe hike. Learn more at Phoenix.gov/parks/trails/

Popular Phoenix hiking trail Cholla Trail at Camelback Mountain will reopen to the public on Sept. 30, 2022. The trail has been closed due to construction and a trailhead realignment, that moves the trailhead from Cholla Lane to Invergordon Road. The new trailhead will now offer hikers amenities such as a drinking fountain, restrooms and bike racks.

Since the closure of Cholla Trail in 2020, Park Rangers, Park Stewards and a trail contractor have completed hundreds of hours of trail work to improve the upper reaches of the trail. This work included the removal of unstable boulders, significant improvements to the trail tread and the addition of trail posts and wayfinding efforts – important safety improvements for the trail.

READ ALSO: 10 of Arizona’s best hikes

“Knowing the public interest and popularity, I’m excited for the reopening of Cholla Trail as a safer trail experience for hikers and nearby residents,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said. “This project is a win-win for residents and hikers alike. Yet, it is important to remember that – even with these wonderful new amenities – it is still very important to hike safely by taking the necessary precautions to avoid heat illness and hiking injuries.”

“Our Cholla Trail is now ready to open. After an extensive public and development process we are now open as one of the best local trails in Arizona, if not in the United States. I want to personally thank local residents and hikers for their patience in the construction of Cholla Trail,” Phoenix City Councilman Sal DiCiccio said. “The new trail will reduce foot traffic on Cholla Lane, as well as provide new amenities to hikers with a drinking fountain and bathroom.”

Completing the Cholla Trail Realignment Project was a joint effort between the Parks and Recreation Department, Street Transportation Department, Phoenix Fire Department and the Town of Paradise Valley. All parties played a crucial role in making this project safe and accessible for first responders, hikers and surrounding residents.

Beginning Sept. 30, the trailhead will open at sunrise and close at sunset. Drinking water will be available but due to nearby residential construction, there will be no chilled water or restroom lights until power can be provided, which is expected to occur by late 2022.

Parking for Cholla Trail will continue to be along Invergordon Road which now includes dedicated spaces for rideshare services to pick-up and drop-off hikers.

Additionally, in preparation for the opening of Cholla Trail, the Phoenix Fire Department will be doing some staging as part of training exercises along Invergordon Road in the coming weeks.

More than 200 hikers are rescued annually from City of Phoenix desert and mountain parks and preserves. This simple checklist can help keep you from becoming a statistic. Before you hike, follow the Take a Hike, Do it Right guidelines to ensure a safe hike. Learn more at Phoenix.gov/parks/trails/