MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — Strong monsoon storms hit the northwest Valley on Sunday afternoon bringing high winds, rain and even a dust storm with them.
Out at Lake Pleasant, the storms caused a chaotic scene for boaters as the winds stirred up some big waves, making the lake look more like the ocean as the waves poured water into boats and tossed the boats around.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Las tormentas monzónicas hunden y dejan en la orilla a una docena de barcos en Lake Pleasant
12News viewer Greg Ervin sent in a video of the scene, which saw boats crash into each other and get pulled underwater. You can watch that video at the top of this story.
All in all, the storms caused about a dozen boats to sink or get beached, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
MCSO said they had to rescue about 30 people but luckily, no one was hurt.
“It was just chaos," said Walter Pollard, who was one of many out on the lake Sunday when the storm hit.
“The rain had hail with it," he said. "That hurt.”
Pollard and his friend were out on their boat when they noticed the storm moving in. That's when they decided to call it a day. They had just placed their boat on the back of their trailer when they saw the waves come crashing in.
“People started panicking and boats started crashing into each other,” Pollard said.
He watched as boats started to sink into the water or get beached.
“It was just bad," he said.
More monsoon storms are expected this week. You can find the latest forecast at 12News.com/Weather.
When storms hit, you can track them at 12News.com/Radar.
And be sure to have the 12News app downloaded on your phone for the latest updates on local news, weather and sports.
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