PHOENIX (AP) — Trees fell onto homes and utility poles were knocked down by a possible tornado in a central Arizona community during a series of violent storms that moved through the state overnight into Thursday.
Storms capable of causing hail and wind damage were traveling through central Arizona early Thursday, with some flood watches and the possibility of tornadoes, the National Weather Service said.
On Wednesday night, northern and central parts of the state saw hail the size of golf balls that pummeled people’s roofs, shattered windows and dented cars, along with damaging wind gusts. The weather service had issued multiple warnings during the severe thunderstorms.
A tornado warning was in effect Wednesday night as a storm moved over Heber-Overgaard in Navajo County, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) northeast of Phoenix. People in the area posted photos and video online of uprooted trees and crumpled structures. Significant damage and minor injuries were reported, the county sheriff's office said in a statement. There are about 3,000 people in the community.
State Rep. Walt Blackman, whose district covers parts of the county, requested a state of emergency declaration.
“We have families without power, significant property damage, and at least one reported injury,” he said in a statement.
The storm hit as members of the Overgaard Baptist Church were wrapping up a prayer meeting.
“We took some damage, lost a lot of trees, signs, fences and a few windows,” the church posted about the storm Wednesday night. Nerves were rattled, but members were OK.
“We had a great prayer meeting in the women’s restroom,” the post said.
Warm, moist air moving north fuels storms coming off the California coast. Changing winds can make them spin, creating the conditions for tornadoes, said Ryan Bernhart, a weather service meteorologist in Flagstaff.
“This is very unusual for this area at this time of the year,” Bernhart said.
Strong winds toppled trees in Flagstaff and Mesa, with some landing on walls and carports. A few dozen ponderosa pines over 30 feet (9 meters) tall fell down in the Coconino National Forest, northwest of Flagstaff.
“These are not small trees that are down,” Bernhart said. “These are pretty strong trees that had been knocked down.”
Hill reported from Las Vegas. Associated Press writer Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.
Storms uprooted trees in widespread damage at a local church complex after storms hit the area, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Tree debris obstructs part of a street as storms caused damage at a local apartment complex, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Uprooted trees cause damage at a local apartment complex after storms hit the area, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
PARIS (AP) — Dozens of protesters took to the Paris streets on Thursday despite bans on demonstrations ordered in multiple French cities following a weekend of clashes and widespread looting that marked France’s most violent unrest in years.
Organizers of the Paris protest said an administrative court in the city overturned a ban issued by police. The Paris police prefecture previously said the ban was necessary, given the risk of street violence after groups of masked youth clashed with police forces, looted shops and torched cars over the weekend.
The Paris court ruling was not immediately made public.
More bans were expected in the coming days. French President Emmanuel Macron said such measures aim to protect city centers, businesses and public buildings.
The right to demonstrate in France is protected by the French Constitution, and the ban on demonstrations planned for Thursday in Paris, Lyon, Lille and Grenoble was seen by some as an infringement on French people’s right to protest.
High school and university student groups said they will continue to mobilize, even though the autumn school break started this week.
Macron said the strategy adopted for the coming days is to ban protests requested by “individuals or groups with no legitimate authority.” His remarks came after a special security meeting at the Elysée Palace.
“Where trade unions submit requests to hold demonstrations, prefects will examine them in accordance with the law, but alternative routes will be proposed” to protect city centers, businesses and public buildings, Macron said.
“The rules are simple, and I think they’re just common sense. The general recommendation is that there should be no demonstrations in the coming days," he said. “For those who still want to protest, if they are trade unions, prefects will propose alternative routes."
Macron blamed the weekend's violence on “actions led by radical far-left groups who aimed to bring the Republic down," in addition to criminals who came to loot.
The turmoil in Paris and other French cities has prompted a strong security response from the government. Night curfews have been implemented in some areas of the French capital, as well as in other cities where calm has been restored.
The ban in Paris applied to areas including the Elysée presidential palace, both houses of parliament, and the city's main train stations. Areas in downtown Paris, which were severely hit by the looting, were also covered.
Thursday's planned protests were seen as a prelude to Saturday's big demonstration, when activists from the “ yellow vest ” movement, whose demonstrations over fuel prices shook France in 2018 and 2019, and the CGT labor union, are expected to join.
Some of those protests, including marches in Lyon, will also be banned, local authorities said.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who met union representatives on Wednesday, said a “massive” security operation was planned for Saturday to prevent a repeat of the violence by small groups of rioters that had exposed shortcomings in security measures.
Union representatives said their meeting with Lecornu did not result in concrete proposals. They are now focusing on another big day of action scheduled on Nov. 5, and called on private and public sector employees to join.
The demonstrations first erupted last month in a high school in Creteil, southeast of Paris, over a lack of staff. From there, class strikes, blockades and demonstrations spread to other Paris suburbs and then nationwide, even in smaller towns.
High school students have raised concerns about underfunded schools, dilapidated facilities and staff shortages, particularly in lower-income neighborhoods. Some also called for a reform of the university admissions system, seen by many as complex and unfair.
With the government unable to respond to students' demands, the school demonstrations and blockades have morphed into larger protests over soaring living costs, just months before next year's presidential election to choose Macron's successor.
A woman walks past a building with graffiti that reads "The ultra-rich against everyone" and "No justice, no peace. RIP El Hacen" after the weekend protests over the cost of living turned into rioting and looting across France, in Paris, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)
A man walks past a burned-out structure next to the inscription in a wall ¨Power = Pedophilia¨ after the weekend protests over the cost of living turned into rioting and looting across France, in Paris, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)
People walk past La Barrique bistrot damaged after the weekend protests over the cost of living turned into rioting and looting across France, in Paris, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)
View of charred objects from a newsstand after the weekend protests over the cost of living turned into rioting and looting across France, in Paris, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)
People watch and take photos of cleanup efforts after weekend protests over the cost of living turned into rioting and looting across France, in Paris, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)
