海角大神

Torrential rains drenched much of the聽US Southwest聽on Monday, prompting聽flash-flood warnings across four states and taking the lives of two women washed away in separate incidents in聽Arizona.

The聽Phoenix聽area was hit by a record downpour that closed sections of two major freeways, and the聽National Weather Service聽issued聽flash-flood warnings for parts of聽Arizona,聽California,聽Nevada,聽and聽Utah.

"This is a life-threatening situation," the NWS said in an advisory.

In聽Phoenix, a record-setting 3.29 inches of rain fell on Sky Harbor International Airport, beating the 2.91 inches seen in September 1939 for the city's most rainfall in a single day.

One community on the southeast of聽Phoenix聽saw more than 5-1/2 inches of rain.

Arizona聽Governor聽Jan Brewer聽declared a statewide emergency for the affected areas. "If you must travel, please do so with caution & BE SAFE!" Brewer said on Twitter, using the hashtag #TurnAroundDontDrown.

The downpour turned some highways into lakes, with officials saying parts of both Interstates 10 and 17 were shut to traffic. A section of Interstate 15 in聽Nevada聽was closed too.

Arizona聽television stations broadcast footage of some abandoned cars nearly completely submerged. Authorities said several people were rescued from vehicles, and that the roof of a grocery store partially collapsed.

At its peak, airport officials reported flights at Sky Harbor were delayed for 25 minutes. Some 20,000 people were without power across the聽Phoenix聽area. Multiple schools canceled classes for the day.

A 76-year-old woman died in聽Pinal County聽just south of聽Phoenix聽after she and her husband tried to cross a flooded wash.

Their car got stuck, and while the man reached the shore, his wife was swept away, the local sheriff's office said.

Farther south in聽Tucson, authorities said a woman in her 50s was killed when her car was swept downstream after becoming stuck in a rain-swollen creek.

The聽Tucson聽fire department said the woman's vehicle was stuck against a pedestrian bridge, entirely submerged. A crew immediately began getting equipment for a rescue when the car was pushed under the bridge, it said.

Thirty minutes later, the waters receded and the car was found three blocks away, pinned against a concrete tunnel along with trees and other debris.

Weather officials said聽Tucson聽also set a single-day record with 1.26 inches of rain dumped at聽Tucson International Airport. That broke the record of 0.94 of an inch from 1919.

Trooper Chelsea Webster of the聽Nevada聽Highway Patrol聽said a portion of Interstate 15 linking聽Las Vegas聽to聽Arizona聽was closed in the Moapa Valley because of flooding, and emergency workers were plucking stranded motorists from their cars.

There was no immediate word of any injuries, or how many people had to be rescued from the interstate.