Desert dwellers were still cleaning up Monday after a surprise desert thunderstorm Sunday that wreaked havoc on the Coachella Valley, knocking out power to thousands of customers and flooding roads, homes and businesses.

At 6;00 yesterday, I was on my typical early morning walk with the dogs....it was rare that there was a slight sprinkle in the summer....within minutes the rain started to pick up, as we raced home....seconds later, the sky blackened, and the floodgates opened!!!  I've never seen it so heavy!   Thunder, wind, lightning, our own little huricane!...an inch of rain in less then a hour.  We don't see rain that often in the desert, but when we do, it can be a very hazardous event.

Later in the day, while driving around, the damage was evident everywhere.  Streets were flooded, many were closed, mud everywhere...definately flash flood weather.  Unfortunately, many business experienced damage, so much so that the governor declared a state of emergency at the local level today. What a mess! The good news, the sun was back out today, business as usual.

For more info, see:

The Desert Sun article

http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080721/NEWS01/807210305/1006/news01