Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Phoenix, AZ

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787 FXUS65 KPSR 070900 AFDPSR Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Phoenix AZ 200 AM MST Tue May 7 2024 .SYNOPSIS...
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Dry weather will continue for the rest of the week with an increase in winds today and Wednesday. Temperatures will remain near normal through around Friday before rising to above normal over the weekend into early next week when afternoon highs may climb to around 100 degrees across parts of the lower deserts.
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&& .DISCUSSION...
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The weather pattern will become somewhat stagnant across the region over the next several days as the upper level low which is currently centered over the Northern Plains retrogrades back to the southwest. For today, a shortwave trough is forecast to slide southeastward down the back side of the large scale trough reinvigorating the southwest portion of the trough. This will help to bring an increase in winds over much of the area starting this afternoon with gusts into a 20-25 mph range. By late tonight into early Wednesday morning, a weak dry cold front is expected to push southward down the Lower CO River Valley. This should lead to an increase in winds behind the front during the morning hours across portions of southeast California and far western Arizona with occasional gusts upwards of 30-35 mph. Elsewhere on Wednesday, wind gusts in the afternoon are likely to again reach to near 25 mph at times. After a couple days of cooler temperatures, readings today are forecast to warm back into a normal range, mostly into the upper 80s to the lower 90s across the lower deserts. Behind the weak cold front on Wednesday, temperatures should dip a few degrees across the western deserts, but will again top out around 90 degrees in the Phoenix area. Model ensemble guidance is now mostly in agreement the retrograding upper low will settle somewhere just to our north by Thursday and then likely remain fairly stationary into the coming weekend. This pattern evolution will help to keep temperatures from warming any further for a few days with readings likely remaining right around seasonal normals through at least Friday. For the coming weekend, guidance shows the upper low weakening enough that temperatures will trend upward with highs climbing into the mid to possibly upper 90s. At some point early next week, we may see the upper level ridge fully move over our region. However, heights aloft are not likely to get much of a boost and it may only raise temperatures another couple degrees, or right near 100 degrees. Either way, continued dry conditions are heavily favored into next week.
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&& .AVIATION...
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Updated at 0515Z. South-Central Arizona including KPHX, KIWA, KSDL, and KDVT: No significant weather issues will exist through Tuesday night under clear skies. Confidence is very good that winds will continue to weaken overnight switching to the traditional easterly direction by or shortly after midnight. A westerly component should return somewhat earlier than usual late Tuesday morning/early afternoon afternoon with more frequent late afternoon gustiness around 20-25 kt. Southeast California/Southwest Arizona including KIPL and KBLH: No weather issues will exist through Tuesday night under clear skies. Extended periods of light and variable winds will be common, however in general, W/SW directions will be preferred during the evening and overnight, with S/SE more common during the afternoon.
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&& .FIRE WEATHER...
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Dry conditions will prevail through at least mid week with another round of breezy conditions starting today and lasting through Wednesday. Wind gusts this afternoon will commonly reaching to around 20 mph areawide before stronger gusts of up to 30-35 mph will be possible Wednesday morning into the early afternoon across the Lower CO River Valley. Elsewhere on Wednesday, afternoon wind gusts of 20-25 mph will be likely. MinRHs both days will be in the 5-10% range across the lower deserts to around 10-15% over higher terrain areas, with overnight recoveries between 20-40%. Winds during the latter half of the week will return to more typical seasonal trends with daily afternoon gusts up to around 20 mph and temperatures near normal.
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&& .PSR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AZ...None. CA...None. && $$ DISCUSSION...Kuhlman AVIATION...18 FIRE WEATHER...Kuhlman