Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Phoenix, AZ
Issued by NWS Phoenix, AZ
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176 FXUS65 KPSR 082010 AFDPSR Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Phoenix AZ 110 PM MST Sat Nov 8 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Unseasonably warm weather will prevail through at least the middle of next week with some local daily high temperature records possible Sunday and Monday. - A cooler and wetter weather pattern may arrive into the Desert Southwest by the end of next week. && .SHORT TERM /Today through Monday/... The first vestiges of a pronounced pattern amplification phase over the Conus was evident in afternoon WV imagery with deepening troughing over eastern North America and a growing meridional jet component in the northeast Pacific. In response, modeling remains in excellent agreement depicting very anomalous ridging materializing over the SW Conus in the next 36 hours with H5 heights building near 590 dm, or very near a climatological extreme by mid-November standards. Not surprisingly given this pattern, clear skies and dry weather are assured with temperatures 5F-10F above the daily normals. In fact, NBM output still suggests nearly a 75% chance of KPHX reaching a record high Sunday afternoon. While H5 heights begin to retreat Monday in response to wave breaking over the ridge axis, tropospheric thermal profiles will be slower to respond such that temperatures Monday should only be marginally "cooler" than a persistence forecast. && .LONG TERM /Tuesday through Saturday/... Confidence remains high that upper-lvl ridging will prevail over the Desert Southwest through at least the middle of next week as a trough of low pressure takes aim on coastal California and the Pacific Northwest. Under the presence of ridging aloft, daily highs across the lower deserts will continue to top out around 5 to 8 degrees above normal Tuesday through Thursday. Starting on Wednesday we will also see an increasing fetch of high clouds progressing into our forecast area ahead of the approaching trough. Deterministic models and ensemble members are now coming into better agreement showing the onshore progression of the upper trough and displacement of the upper ridge ewd into the Southern Plains late next week. As this occurs, a large plume of Pacific moisture will begin to overspread CA and the Intermountain West from Thursday into Friday. This system will likely bring widespread measurable precipitation to coastal and interior California. The combination of increasing mid-lvl southwesterly flow will transport moisture into the Desert Southwest by Friday into Saturday and that is when we will see rain chances increase from W to E across our forecast area. There are still subtle differences in timing in model QPF fields, however most members are now showing measurable rainfall in south- central AZ. Coincidentally, NBM PoPs have now increased up to 20-40% across much of the region late Friday into Saturday. Due to the arrival of negative height anomalies associated with the trough, sfc temperatures are expected to cool into the lower 80s by Friday and potentially mid to upper 70s on Saturday. && .AVIATION...Updated at 1700Z. South Central Arizona including KPHX, KIWA, KSDL, and KDVT; and Southeast California/Southwest Arizona including KIPL and KBLH: No major weather issues will exist across the region through Sunday afternoon under clear skies. Winds patterns today will be nearly identical to Friday with extended periods of calm conditions. Some local gusts around 15kt will be possible late Sunday morning across PHX area terminals, but should have little affect on operations. && .FIRE WEATHER... Warm and dry conditions with well above normal temperatures will prevail this weekend and through much of next week. Afternoon minimum humidity will bottom out between 15-20% over the next several days with overnight recoveries ranging from 30-60%. Winds will remain light, generally 15 mph or less with occasional afternoon gusts and will tend to follow a typical diurnal upslope/nocturnal drainage pattern. && .PSR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AZ...None. CA...None. && $$ SHORT TERM...18 LONG TERM...Salerno AVIATION...18 FIRE WEATHER...Salerno