862  
FXUS65 KPSR 280000  
AFDPSR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ  
500 PM MST FRI JUN 27 2025  
   
UPDATE
 
UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION.  
 

 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- TEMPERATURES WILL HEAT UP THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH WIDESPREAD  
MODERATE HEATRISK DEVELOPING ACROSS ALL AREAS BY SUNDAY AND  
LOWER DESERT HIGH TEMPERATURES TOPPING OUT BETWEEN 110 AND 115  
DEGREES FOR SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY  
 
- AN EXTREME HEAT WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE PHOENIX METRO  
SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY WITH THE REST OF MARICOPA AND PINAL  
COUNTIES ISSUED ONLY FOR MONDAY AS AREAS OF MAJOR HEATRISK  
DEVELOP.  
 
- DRY CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH AT LEAST THE WEEKEND, BUT A  
GRADUAL INCREASE IN MOISTURE NEXT WEEK IS LIKELY TO LEAD TO  
INCREASING CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FOR PORTIONS OF  
ARIZONA AS EARLY AS THE MIDDLE PART OF NEXT WEEK  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
PERSISTENCE FORECAST CONTINUES FOR TODAY, AS DRY SOUTHWESTERLY  
FLOW CONTINUES WITH DAILY SHOWER AND STORM ACTIVITY IN FAR  
SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA. THE ENHANCED MOISTURE AXIS EAST OF THE  
REGION WILL DEGRADE GOING INTO AND THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS DRIER  
AIR FILTERS IN AS PERSISTENT TROUGHING DEEPENS ONCE AGAIN OFFSHORE  
OF THE CALIFORNIA COAST THAT'LL ENHANCE DRY SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW  
ALOFT IN CONCERT WITH SUBTROPICAL RIDGING BUILDING IN FROM THE  
EAST INTO THE REGION. THIS COMBINATION WILL KEEP DRY CONDITIONS  
INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK, WITH TEMPERATURES RISING BACK ABOVE NORMAL  
THIS WEEKEND.  
 
WIDESPREAD MODERATE HEATRISK WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE REGION BY  
SUNDAY, WITH AREAS OF MAJOR HEATRISK PEAKING ON MONDAY. EXTREME  
HEAT WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT SUNDAY-TUESDAY FOR THE PHOENIX METRO  
AND OTHER AREAS OF NORTHWESTERN PINAL AND MARICOPA COUNTIES FOR  
MONDAY ONLY. HIGHS IN CENTRAL PHOENIX MAY REACH RECORD TERRITORY  
ON MONDAY AS THE HOTTEST DAY OF THIS THREE DAY PERIOD IS CURRENTLY  
FORECASTED AT 115 DEGREES, WHICH WOULD TIE THE RECORD HIGH FOR  
THAT DATE BACK IN 1979 AND 2013 (~75% CHANCE OF TYING, ~40% OF  
BREAKING). WARMER OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES ARE ALSO CONTRIBUTING TO  
THE WARNINGS LASTING THROUGH TUESDAY AS THE RISE INTO THE MID TO  
UPPER 80S LATE THIS WEEKEND/EARLY NEXT WEEK (30-50% CHANCE  
OVERNIGHT LOWS REMAIN 90 DEGREES OR ABOVE FOR CENTRAL PHOENIX  
MONDAY NIGHT). THESE ELEVATED LOWS ARE IN PART DUE TO INCREASING  
MOISTURE LEVELS DUE TO AN EXPECTED PATTERN CHANGE BEGINNING ON  
MONDAY.  
 
THE AFOREMENTIONED TROUGHING FEATURE WILL MEANDER EASTWARD EARLY  
NEXT WEEK, PUSHING THE SUBTROPICAL HIGH CENTER EAST OF THE REGION.  
THIS EASTWARD MOVEMENT WILL CAUSE TEMPERATURES TO COOL STARTING  
TUESDAY, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY BEGIN THE INFLUX OF MOISTURE AS THE  
HIGH SETS UP SOMEWHERE AROUND THE FOUR CORNERS REGION BY THE  
MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. ENSEMBLES SPREAD CONTINUES TO HAMPER HONING IN  
ON BETTER TIMING AND OUTLOOK HEADING INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK,  
AS THE GEFS CONTINUES TO REMAIN BULLISH ON HIGHER PWAT ANOMALIES  
BUILDING INTO EASTERN TO CENTRAL ARIZONA QUICKER THAN THE ECMWF  
STARTING ON MONDAY, WHEREAS THE ECMWF REMAINS MORE DELAYED INTO  
TUESDAY. THESE DIFFERENCES WOULD DICTATE WHICH DAY THE ONSET OF  
MORE ROBUST CONVECTION MAY BEGIN TO DEVELOP STARTING IN  
EASTER/SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA, AND EVENTUALLY INTO THE REGION, EVEN  
FOR THE LOWER DESERTS LATER IN THE WEEK. DESPITE THESE  
DIFFERENCES, WITH THIS TRANSITION WILL POSE A DAY OR TWO OF DRY  
LIGHTNING THREATS, ALONG WITH OUTFLOWS PROPAGATING FROM MORE  
ROBUST CONVECTION IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN AREAS AND SOUTHEASTERN  
ARIZONA THAT COULD LEAD TO GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS AND A BLOWING DUST  
THREAT FOR LOWER DESERT AREAS OF SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA.  
 
ONCE THE BETTER MOISTURE BUILDS TO AROUND 100-150% OF PWAT NORMALS  
BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK, HIGHER TERRAIN SHOWERS/STORMS SEEMS  
MORE LIKELY TO MAINTAIN CONVECTION TO THE LOWER DESERTS, EVEN INTO  
PHOENIX, MOST REALISTICALLY STARTING THURSDAY (AT THE EARLIEST).  
THE ECMWF HAS HIGHER WET PWAT ANOMALIES FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY  
THAN PREVIOUS RUNS ACROSS ARIZONA, SO THIS CHANGE WOULD BODE WELL  
FOR LOWER DESERT CONVECTION CHANCES LATE NEXT WEEK IF THIS TREND  
CONTINUES. BOTTOM LINE IS MODEL GUIDANCE NEEDS TO COME INTO BETTER  
AGREEMENT BEFORE WE CAN START NAILING DOWN THE DAILY SHOWER/STORM  
CHANCES WITH MORE CERTAINTY. AT THE VERY LEAST, IT IS CERTAIN  
THAT THE PATTERN WILL TRANSITION INTO A BRIEF PERIOD OF A  
MONSOONAL PATTERN, WITH THE TROUGH OFFSHORE OF THE WEST COAST  
LIMITING THE ROBUSTNESS OF THE MOISTURE AND HOW LONG THIS MOISTURE  
WILL LINGER INTO LATE NEXT WEEK DUE TO THE DRY SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW  
ALOFT. AS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THE TROPICAL  
SYSTEM TRACKING NORTHWESTWARD FROM THE SUBTROPICS WILL PROVIDE  
ANY ASSISTANCE TO THE MOISTURE LEVELS LATE NEXT WEEK, THUS HOW THE  
SUBTROPICAL HIGH SETS UP WILL DICTATE THE SHOWER/THUNDERSTORM  
POTENTIAL NEXT WEEK. WITH THAT SAID, NBM POP'S CONTINUE TO RUN  
HIGH DUE TO BIASES RELATED TO COMING OUT OF A DRY PERIOD, THUS  
SOME CHANGES WERE MADE TO ACCOMMODATE THAT.  
 

 
   
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION
 
 
BEYOND NEXT FRIDAY (JULY 4TH), BOTH THE GEFS AND EPS GENERALLY  
FAVOR A RETURN OF DRY SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW THROUGH ALL OF THE DESERT  
SOUTHWEST, MOSTLY DUE TO THAT NEAR PERSISTENT TROUGH  
RESTRENGTHENING JUST TO OUR WEST.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
UPDATED AT 0000Z.  
 
SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA INCLUDING KPHX, KIWA, KSDL, KDVT:  
WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW DIURNAL TRENDS THROUGH SATURDAY,  
WITH PREVAILING CLEAR SKIES. WIND SPEEDS UP TO 8-12 KTS ARE  
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS AND RETURN  
AGAIN TOMORROW AFTERNOON AND EVENING, WITH GUSTS UP TO 15-20 KTS.  
SPEEDS WILL SUBSIDE LATE THIS EVENING AND REMAIN LIGHT THROUGH  
TOMORROW MORNING. DIURNAL EASTERLY WINDS WILL DEVELOP BY 8-12Z  
TOMORROW MORNING AND TURN BACK WESTERLY BY 16-17Z TOMORROW.  
 
SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA/SOUTHWEST ARIZONA INCLUDING KIPL AND KBLH:  
WINDS WILL COME AROUND TO THE WEST BY 00-01Z AT KIPL THIS EVENING,  
WITH SPEEDS INCREASING UP TO 10-14 KTS FOR A FEW HOURS. WIND  
DIRECTIONS THEN RETURN TO A SOUTHEASTERLY COMPONENT BY 14-15Z  
TOMORROW MORNING. WINDS WILL MAINTAIN A SOUTHERLY COMPONENT AT  
KBLH FOR MOST OF THE TAF PERIOD, WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 20 KTS THIS  
EVENING AND AGAIN TOMORROW AFTERNOON AND EVENING. LOFTED  
SMOKE/HAZE MAY AT TIMES LOWER SLANTWISE VISIBILITY DURING THE  
LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING HOURS.  
 

 
   
FIRE WEATHER
 
 
HIGH PRESSURE WILL GRADUALLY STRENGTHEN ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH  
THE WEEKEND LEADING TO A STRONG WARMING TREND AND CONTINUED DRY  
CONDITIONS. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM TO SEVERAL DEGREES ABOVE  
NORMAL STARTING SATURDAY BEFORE PEAKING EARLY NEXT WEEK. EXPECT  
LITTLE CHANGE IN HUMIDITY TRENDS AS MINRH VALUES CONTINUE TO RANGE  
BETWEEN 5-15% EACH DAY AND OVERNIGHT RECOVERIES STAY BETWEEN  
20-35%. WINDS WILL FOLLOW FAMILIAR DIURNAL TRENDS WITH TYPICAL  
AFTERNOON BREEZINESS, GUSTING MAINLY BETWEEN 15-20 MPH.  
EVENTUALLY, THE WEATHER PATTERN SHOULD BECOME MORE FAVORABLE FOR  
INCREASING MOISTURE AND AT LEAST SOME SCATTERED HIGH TERRAIN  
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS BY AROUND NEXT TUESDAY. THIS MAY  
INITIALLY RESULT A DAY OR TWO OF DRY LIGHTNING CONCERNS BEFORE  
MOISTURE AND RAINFALL CHANCES INCREASES LATER NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
PSR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
AZ...EXTREME HEAT WARNING FROM 10 AM SUNDAY TO 8 PM MST TUESDAY FOR  
AZZ537-540-542>544-546-548-550-551.  
 
EXTREME HEAT WARNING FROM 10 AM TO 8 PM MST MONDAY FOR AZZ534-  
538-539-541-545-547-549-552>555-559-560.  
 
CA...NONE.  

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...YOUNG  
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...KUHLMAN  
AVIATION...BENEDICT  
FIRE WEATHER...YOUNG/KUHLMAN  
 
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