Rain from tropical storm begins falling on Arizona [View all]

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By TERRY TANG and BRIAN SKOLOFF

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — People lined up in bumper-to-bumper traffic and scooped sand into trash and canvas tote bags Wednesday as rain from a weakened Pacific storm began to fall on Arizona.

It's the second blast of hurricane-related weather to hit the desert region in the past two weeks — the result of an especially active Pacific storm season. Odile was once a Category 3 Hurricane, but was downgraded to a tropical depression by the time rain started falling in Arizona.

The Tucson and Phoenix areas received lesser-than-expected precipitation Wednesday, and no rain was falling in either location by mid-afternoon. But the forecast still calls for more precipitation to arrive in the next day, with up to 5 inches of rain predicted for Tucson.

"Don't be lulled into thinking just because we didn't get rain right now, that it's not coming," said John Brost, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Tucson. "It's still heading this way, it's just still south of the border."

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Mesa residents, reflected in a truck window, take free sandbags to protect their homes, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014 in Mesa, Ariz. Phoenix area residents are filling sandbags in anticipation for the remnants of Category 3 Hurricane Odille which decimated Mexico's Baja California. (AP Photo/Matt York)


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