229  
FXUS65 KPSR 091125  
AFDPSR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ  
425 AM MST SAT MAY 9 2026  
   
UPDATE  
UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION.  
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- AN EXTREME HEAT WARNING WILL BE IN EFFECT FOR PHOENIX AND  
PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY.  
 
- MODERATE HEATRISK WILL IMPACT THE MAJORITY OF THE AREA THROUGH  
TUESDAY WITH ISOLATED MAJOR HEATRISK SUNDAY AND MONDAY.  
 
- MONDAY IS EXPECTED TO BE THE HOTTEST DAY WITH LOWER DESERT HIGH  
TEMPERATURES PEAKING BETWEEN 105 AND 110 DEGREES.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH MONDAY/  
 
UPPER LEVEL RIDGING IS NOW FULLY IN CONTROL ACROSS THE  
SOUTHWESTERN U.S. PROVIDING HOT TEMPERATURES AND DRY CONDITIONS.  
THE CENTER OF THE RIDGE WILL REMAIN OFFSHORE TODAY AND FOR THE  
FIRST PART OF SUNDAY BEFORE MOVING DIRECTLY OVERHEAD LATE SUNDAY  
THROUGH THE FIRST PART OF MONDAY. THE CURRENT H5 HEIGHTS OF  
581-583DM ALONG WITH AN ALREADY VERY WARM BOUNDARY LAYER WILL  
ALLOW FOR EVEN HOTTER DAYTIME TEMPERATURES TODAY WITH READINGS  
BETWEEN 101-104 DEGREES IN THE PHOENIX AREA TO 103-106 DEGREES  
ACROSS SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHWEST ARIZONA. AS THE CENTER  
OF THE RIDGE BEGINS TO MOVE INTO THE REGION FROM THE WEST ON  
SUNDAY, H5 HEIGHTS WILL RISE TO 585-587DM BEFORE PEAKING BETWEEN  
588-591DM ON SUNDAY.  
 
BETWEEN NOW AND MONDAY, GUIDANCE INDICATES H8 TEMPERATURES WARMING  
ANOTHER 4C, PEAKING NEAR 30C ON MONDAY. THIS WARMING ALOFT IS  
EXPECTED TO EASILY MIX DOWN THROUGH THE BOUNDARY LAYER WITH THE  
BIGGEST CHANGE IN TEMPERATURES FROM SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. FORECAST  
HIGHS HAVE BARELY CHANGED OVER THE PAST SEVERAL FORECAST PACKAGES  
AND STILL CALL FOR 103-107 DEGREES SUNDAY AND 106-110 MONDAY.  
BOTH DAYS WILL REPRESENT A HIGH-END MODERATE HEATRISK FOR NEARLY  
ALL LOCATIONS ACROSS SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA THROUGH SOUTHERN AND  
CENTRAL ARIZONA WITH MONDAY HAVING THE HIGHEST AREAL COVERAGE  
(~25%) OF MAJOR HEATRISK. AN EXTREME HEAT WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED  
FOR WESTERN PORTIONS OF IMPERIAL COUNTY AND FOR THE PHOENIX METRO  
ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/  
 
A GRADUAL CHANGE IN THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN WILL HELP TO BRING  
SOME MODEST HEAT RELIEF BY THE LATTER HALF OF NEXT WEEK. THE FIRST  
CHANGE WILL BE A WEAK TROUGH THAT IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP JUST  
WEST OF SOUTHERN BAJA ON SUNDAY BEFORE TRACKING NORTHWARD ALONG  
THE CALIFORNIA COASTLINE ON TUESDAY. THIS FEATURE IS NOT EXPECTED  
TO BRING BIG CHANGES TO OUR REGION, BUT IT WILL LEAD TO INCREASED  
SOUTHERLY FLOW AND MOISTURE WHILE ALSO SOMEWHAT DISPLACING THE  
RIDGE TO OUR EAST. MODELS SHOW DECENT MOISTURE ADVECTION MAINLY  
ABOVE 15K FEET INTO OUR REGION STARTING MONDAY NIGHT, BUT MORE SO  
TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. TUESDAY MAY BRING SOME SPARSE  
HIGHER LEVEL CLOUDS, BEFORE THICKER AND MORE CLOUD COVERAGE IS  
LIKELY TO MOVE IN ON WEDNESDAY.  
 
THE TRACK OF THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH ACROSS CALIFORNIA TUESDAY AND  
WEDNESDAY IS ALSO EXPECTED TO LOWER HEIGHTS ACROSS THE DESERT  
SOUTHWEST, BUT ANY COOLING WILL BE SLOW TO OCCUR. TUESDAY'S  
FORECAST HIGHS ARE VERY SIMILAR TO SUNDAY'S EXPECTED READINGS, BUT  
BY WEDNESDAY HIGHS ARE LIKELY TO FALL BACK TO JUST ABOVE 100  
DEGREES. A LARGER, BUT WEAKENING PACIFIC LOW IS THEN EXPECTED TO  
REACH THE CALIFORNIA COAST SOMETIME WEDNESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT  
BEFORE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST THROUGH NEVADA AND UTAH ON THURSDAY  
AND/OR FRIDAY OF NEXT WEEK. THIS DISTURBANCE SHOULD CONTINUE TO  
AID IN WEAK HEIGHT FALLS ACROSS THE DESERT SOUTHWEST LATE NEXT  
WEEK POTENTIALLY DROPPING DAYTIME HIGHS INTO THE UPPER 90S, OR  
AROUND FIVE DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
UPDATED AT 1124Z.  
 
SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA INCLUDING KPHX, KIWA, KSDL, AND KDVT:  
NO AVIATION WEATHER CONCERNS UNDER MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES CAN BE  
EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THE TAF PERIOD. THE OVERALL WIND PATTERN WILL  
CONTINUE TO EXHIBIT THE TYPICAL DIURNAL TENDENCIES WITH SPEEDS AOB  
12 KTS, ALTHOUGH OCCASIONAL GUSTS NEAR 20 KTS WILL BE COMMON THIS  
AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING.  
 
SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA/SOUTHWEST ARIZONA INCLUDING KIPL AND KBLH:  
NO AVIATION WEATHER CONCERNS UNDER MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES CAN BE  
EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THE TAF PERIOD. AT KIPL, WINDS WILL GENERALLY  
PREVAIL OUT OF THE WEST, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A PERIOD  
SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS DURING THE EARLY TO MID-AFTERNOON HOURS. AT  
KBLH, WINDS WILL GENERALLY FLUCTUATE OUT OF THE SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST  
DURING THE DAY AND VEER NORTH LATE TONIGHT. OVERALL WIND SPEEDS  
WILL BE AOB 12 KTS, ALTHOUGH SOME GUSTS UPWARDS OF 20-25 KTS ARE  
ANTICIPATED AT KIPL FOR A FEW HOURS THIS EVENING.  
 
 
   
FIRE WEATHER  
 
HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL WELL INTO NEXT WEEK WITH LOWER  
DESERT HIGHS TOPPING 100 DEGREES THROUGH AT LEAST TUESDAY. WITH  
AFTERNOON HIGHS WARMING 10-15 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL, MINIMUM  
HUMIDITY LEVELS WILL MOSTLY FALL INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS EACH DAY.  
CORRESPONDINGLY, OVERNIGHT RECOVERY WILL ONLY BE IN A POOR TO  
FAIR 20-35% RANGE. WINDS WILL BE VERY TYPICAL FOR MID MAY THROUGH  
MONDAY WITH SOME GUSTS AROUND 20 MPH COMMON DURING MID/LATE  
AFTERNOON. THE COMBINATION OF THE HOT TEMPERATURES, VERY LOW RHS,  
DRY FUELS, AND BREEZY CONDITIONS FOCUSED DURING THE LATE  
AFTERNOON HOURS SHOULD RESULT IN ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS  
FOR PORTIONS OF THE AREA.  
 
 
   
PSR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
AZ...EXTREME HEAT WARNING FROM 10 AM SUNDAY TO 8 PM MST MONDAY FOR  
AZZ537-540-542>544-546-548-550-551.  
 
CA...EXTREME HEAT WARNING FROM 10 AM SUNDAY TO 8 PM PDT MONDAY FOR  
CAZ562-563-566.  
 
 
 
 
 
SHORT TERM...KUHLMAN  
LONG TERM...KUHLMAN  
AVIATION...BENEDICT/LOJERO  
FIRE WEATHER...KUHLMAN  
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