Possible tornado hits Arizona town after first tornado watch in 16 years

Residents are cleaning up after a suspected tornado struck the mountain community of Heber-Overgaard in Arizona around 7 p.m. local time Wednesday, according to Arizona's Family. The storm knocked down power poles, toppled trees, and damaged homes, with the Navajo County Sheriff's Office reporting significant damage and minor injuries, ABC15 reported.

A reception center was opened at the Navajo County Heber Complex for residents displaced by the storm, according to ABC15. Heber resident Betty Nixon described the violent winds lasting less than a minute and sounding like a tornado, as reported by Arizona's Family.

State Representative Walt Blackman has requested the governor declare a state of emergency for the area, posting about the situation on social media, while officials continue to assess the damage and refer to it as a possible tornado.

The event marked a historic day for Arizona, as the Storm Prediction Center issued the state's first tornado watch since 2010, The Weather Network reported. Parts of central Arizona were also under a Level 3 out of 5 severe weather risk, a rarity for October since the NOAA adopted its five-level scale in 2015, according to the FOX Forecast Center.

Throughout the day, ABC15 counted 11 tornado warnings across Arizona. Downtown Flagstaff experienced golf ball-sized hail, and the Flagstaff Airport recorded wind gusts reaching 72 mph, The Weather Channel reported. Additionally, the Moenkopi Wash near Tuba City rose above 32 feet, surpassing its previous record by nearly three feet, according to Fox Weather.

Eastern Arizona also faced severe weather, with floodwaters and rockslides damaging homes, roads, and vehicles in Clifton on Tuesday night, Arizona's Family reported. Crews there are preparing sandbags ahead of more storms, and the area remains under a flood watch until 10 p.m. Thursday.