Arizona republican., 1917-07-30
HEAVIEST RAIN
 FUR SIX YEARS
 S0AKSPHOEN|X
In Five Hours More Than Two Inches of Rain Fell; Greatest Storm Since 1911
 Causes Little Damage

The heaviest dOWnpOur Of rain which has fallen in Phoenix in six years start ed early Sunday morning and contin- ued without abatement for five hours before it slacked and the clouds slowly cleared away sufficient to let the sun stream forth after it had been obscured for the longest period for several months. During the five hours rain- fall a total of 2.05 inches of moisture had fallen.
 This downpour of twenty four hours ending Sunday night, holds the record in Phoenix for six years according to the records of the local weather bureau, the heaviest previous one having occur red in July, 1911, when a total of 4.87 inches of rain fell in the same length of time, a deluge that will easily be re- called by residents of this city and val ley. Altogether, the total rainfall at that time. stretched over parts of three days, totalled nearly six inches. It flooded the valley, made lakes of farms, washed away roads and in many other ways caused it to be remembered.
 The total precipitation of the storm up to Sunday noon reached 3.48 inches. 1.3S inches falling Thursday night, and .05 inches on Saturday morning pre- vious to the big rain of early Sunday morning and the same forenoon.
 The last storm of any size, previous to the one of Sunday, occurred in Sep tember, 1916 when 1.70 inches of rain fell Since that date there has been no rainfall of any size.
 With the big rain of Sunday the ex- cess of precipitation from January l to date is 5.02 inches, an unusually large excess for Arizona. The normal rain fall, as computed from the figures Of many years at the weather bureau, from January to date, is only 392 in- ches, instead of which this city and valley has received in the same time S.94 inches
 The absence of wind with the storm of Sunday caused little damage in the city and Va ley, the greatest dama ge being to hay and to the cantaloupe crop. In most cases, the rain was need ed and was welcomed by the farmers. From Tempe comes word that the storm did little damage and the same is the report from Mesa and that dis trict.
 The streets of Phoenix were literally flooded with the Sunday morning doWnpour, the sewers being incapable of carrying away the rush of water III pldCto llltN were lulI'dSSlb4t, motor cars being stalled and the slip pery roads making driving exceedingly precarious.
 There was considerable trouble re- ported by the telephone company by reason Of the storm. Seventeen miles of toll lines in the rural districts were put out of commission and some 700 city telephones were likewise rendered useless for a time. In the whole dis trict there were 1.S00 telephones out of service on account of the high water. Work was started at once in repairing the damage and the telephones were rapidly placed back in commission.
 The rain was not as wide in extent as seemed to the residents of this val ley from the volume of water that fell. There was at first some apprehension that the Yuma valley might be flooded when the flood in the Gila should unite with that of the Colorado, but it was learned that the waters of the latter river had receded considerabl from the high stage of a few days ago and that there was no likelihood of a high stage in the Gila