Updated 9:30 p.m.
Rescue crews searching the flooded Santa Cruz River for a man who was swept away by rushing water have ended their efforts because of darkness.
As storms hit Tucson, firefighters attempted to rescue the man, but he lost his footing and was swept away by the raging water, officials said.
Firefighters saw him float for about 200 yards before he disappeared.
Officials from multiple fire departments and law enforcement agencies continued to search for him for several hours, but were not able to find him.
The search was called off because of darkness.
Updated 8:30 p.m.
The thunderstorms that pummeled the city's south side brought record amounts of rainfall for the date and made this September the wettest September on record in Tucson, according to the National Weather Service.
Earlier in the day a neighborhood was evacuated and motorists were pulled from flooded washes when the storm hit and dropped more than two inches of rain at the airport, officials said. Traffic is still restricted in the area around West Valencia Road and Interstate 19.
At the height of the storm, some areas and there were reports of up to three feet of water covering streets near the Tucson International Airport.
Tucson police reported traffic problems from the intersection of West Valencia Road and South 12th Avenue south to West Los Reales Road and west to Interstate 19, police said.
Evening classes were canceled at Pima Community College's aviation center at the airport, said campus president Johnson Bia. About three feet of water was reported near the aviation center.
There was heavy flooding in front of Chaparral Middle School, forcing school staff to walk students to Gallegos Elementary School to catch their buses, according to the Pima County Sheriff's Department.
As of 3 p.m., today's storm helped set a new September record for monsoon rainfall, according to the National Weather Service.
According to the weather service, 5.57 inches of rain has fallen this month. The airport has unofficially received 2.8 inches today, according to National Weather Service .
The rain has forced Raytheon to close its north gate, said company spokesman John B. Patterson. The company has advised its employees to stay on the plant site until the weather passes, Patterson said in an email. There is flooding on the surrounding streets, which has made driving in the area unsafe, he said.
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