358  
FXUS65 KPSR 022058  
AFDPSR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ  
158 PM MST WED JUL 2 2025  
 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- TODAY IS EXPECTED TO BRING ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS  
ACROSS SOUTH-CENTRAL AND EASTERN ARIZONA WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR  
STRONG GUSTY WINDS, BLOWING DUST, AND LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL.  
 
- AFTER LINGERING CHANCES FOR A FEW ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ON  
THURSDAY, DRIER CONDITIONS WILL END ANY RAIN CHANCES STARTING  
THURSDAY NIGHT.  
 
- NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST FOR TODAY THROUGH  
SATURDAY, BEFORE HEATING BACK UP BY EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 

   
NEAR TERM/THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY MORNING/
 
 
CURRENT RADAR INDICATES SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN  
GILA COUNTY AT THIS TIME. THE PRIMARY FORECAST CONCERNS IN THE  
NEAR TERM ARE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTH-CENTRAL AND  
EASTERN ARIZONA, WITH ASSOCIATED STRONG GUSTY WINDS, BLOWING DUST,  
AND LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL. CONVECTION, WHICH IS ALREADY  
OCCURRING, IS EXPECTED TO INTENSIFY OVER HIGHER TERRAIN AREAS  
WITH HI-RES CAMS INDICATING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS  
DEVELOPING AND MOVING INTO THE FOOTHILLS OF THE EAST VALLEY AND  
POTENTIALLY INTO THE PHOENIX METRO, BY LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY  
EVENING WHERE EVEN A THUNDERSTORM OR 2 COULD BE SEVERE. STRONG  
OUTFLOW WINDS COULD IMPACT THE PHOENIX VALLEY, WITH DCAPE VALUES  
OF 1200-1400 J/KG PROMOTING BLOWING DUST AND REDUCED VISIBILITY.  
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL GRADUALLY WEAKEN AFTER MIDNIGHT, WITH  
ISOLATED SHOWERS LINGERING OVER HIGHER TERRAIN EAST OF PHOENIX  
INTO EARLY THURSDAY MORNING.  
   
SHORT TERM/TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY/
 
 
THE CURRENT SYNOPTIC SET UP SHOWS AN UNSEASONABLY STRONG PACIFIC  
LOW CENTERED NEAR LOS ANGELES AND THE SUB-TROPICAL HIGH SLOWLY  
RETREATING TO THE NORTHEAST INTO COLORADO. SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW  
SINCE YESTERDAY CONTINUES TO FEED MODESTLY MOIST AIR INTO ARIZONA  
TO AS FAR NORTH AS SOUTHERN NEVADA WITH PWATS NOW UP TO BETWEEN  
1.0-1.2" OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF ARIZONA. THIS MOIST FETCH IS  
EXPECTED TO LAST INTO THIS AFTERNOON WITH PWATS LIKELY PEAKING  
BETWEEN 1.2-1.4" AND LOW LEVEL MIXING RATIOS MOSTLY BETWEEN 8-10  
G/KG. THIS AMOUNT OF MOISTURE WOULD NORMALLY NOT BE SUFFICIENT FOR  
A GOOD AMOUNT OF MONSOON STORM ACTIVITY, BUT WITH THE HELP OF THE  
INCOMING (WEAKENING) PACIFIC LOW, THE MOISTURE SHOULD END UP  
BEING SUFFICIENT.  
 
FOR THURSDAY, MODEL GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SHOW THE WEAKENING  
PACIFIC TROUGH TRACKING NORTHEASTWARD THROUGH NORTHERN ARIZONA  
WITH DRY AIR SURGING EASTWARD ACROSS THE STATE. FOR THE MOST  
PART, GUIDANCE SHOWS ONLY 10-15% CHANCES FOR ANY ADDITIONAL  
SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA LOWER  
DESERTS THURSDAY MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON TO AS HIGH AS 30-35%  
OVER GILA CO. GIVEN THE DRYING, ANY ACTIVITY WILL LIKELY BE ON  
THE WEAKER SIDE WITH POTENTIAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS MUCH LESS THAN  
TODAY. TEMPERATURES FOR TODAY AND THURSDAY WILL BE NOTICEABLY LESS  
HOT THAN THE PAST FEW DAYS WITH HIGHS AT OR JUST BELOW NORMAL.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
 
 
AS THE WEATHER PATTERN SETTLES BACK INTO WESTERLY DRY FLOW OVER  
THE MAJORITY OF THE REGION, RAIN CHANCES ARE EXPECTED TO COME TO  
AN END BY THURSDAY NIGHT. PWATS ARE FORECAST TO DROP DOWN TO  
BETWEEN 0.8-1.0" STARTING FRIDAY AND LIKELY LAST THERE THROUGH  
THE REST OF THE 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND. NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE  
LIKELY TO CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS FOR RURAL  
DESERT AREAS EASILY FALLING INTO THE 70S AS MOISTURE DECREASES,  
BUT LOWS WITHIN PHOENIX AREA STILL LIKELY TO STAY JUST ABOVE 80  
DEGREES.  
 
MODEL UNCERTAINTY INCREASES CONSIDERABLY NEXT WEEK AS THE GEFS  
SHOWS AN INCREASE IN MOISTURE BY AROUND TUESDAY, WHEREAS THE EPS  
KEEPS THE MOISTURE WELL TO THE SOUTH. BOTH GENERALLY AGREE THE  
SUB-TROPICAL RIDGE WILL AGAIN SET UP OVER OUR REGION BY EARLY NEXT  
WEEK, FIRST CENTERED JUST TO OUR EAST BEFORE GRADUALLY SHIFTING  
WESTWARD THROUGH OUR REGION DURING THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.  
HEIGHTS ARE ALSO FAVORED TO RISE DURING THIS TIME AS THE RIDGE  
STRENGTHENS, PUSHING H5 HEIGHTS FROM 590-592DM STARTING SUNDAY TO  
AS HIGH AS 595-597DM BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. THE RECENT SHIFT  
FOR A STRONGER RIDGE SETTING UP OVER OUR REGION HAS ABRUPTLY  
TURNED CONDITIONS NOTICEABLY HOTTER FOR NEXT WEEK WITH NBM HIGHS  
NOW MOSTLY BETWEEN 110-113 DEGREES BY TUESDAY. IF THIS NEW  
SCENARIO OF A STRONGER RIDGE COMES TO FRUITION AND MOISTURE STAYS  
OUT OF OUR AREA, EXPECT FORECAST TEMPERATURES TO TREND EVEN HOTTER  
THAN THE LATEST FORECAST. IF THE GEFS IS MORE CORRECT SHOWING  
BETTER MOISTURE, THAN WE MAY SEE AT LEAST A RETURN OF MONSOON  
ACTIVITY FOR HIGHER TERRAIN AREAS. HOWEVER, FOR NOW IT DOES NOT  
LOOK VERY PROMISING FOR ANY DECENT MONSOON STORMS THROUGH AT LEAST  
THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
UPDATED AT 1800Z.  
 
SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA INCLUDING KPHX, KIWA, KSDL, KDVT:  
ONGOING CONVECTION WEST OF THE TERMINALS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO  
THE AFTERNOON HOURS, BUT NO IMPACTS ANTICIPATED AT ANY TERMINALS.  
SOME VERY WEAK SHOWERS NEAR THE 10 MILE RANGE OF KIWA AND KPHX  
OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF HOURS IS ALSO NOT EXPECTED TO CAUSE ANY  
IMPACTS, AS THIS CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO DISSIPATE. VARIABILITY  
IN WIND DIRECTIONS OVER THE LAST SEVERAL HOURS WILL PREVAIL  
S/SW'RLY THROUGH MID-AFTERNOON WITH SOME GUSTINESS 15-20 KTS.  
 
THE GREATEST AVIATION IMPACTS WILL OCCUR LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND  
INTO THIS EVENING, AS THERE IS SOMEWHAT LOWER CERTAINTY IN WIND  
DIRECTION CHANGES AND SPEEDS AS THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOWS ARE  
ANTICIPATED TO MOVE INTO THE METRO. AT THIS TIME, THE FAVOR IS FOR  
AN INITIAL S/SE'RLY OUTFLOW WITH SOME GUSTY WINDS UPWARDS OF 30  
KTS (50-70% CHANCES), WITH POTENTIAL VISIBILITY REDUCTIONS DUE TO  
BLOWING DUST. HOWEVER, MULTIPLE OUTFLOWS REMAIN POSSIBLE AND COULD  
RESULT IN MULTIPLE WIND SHIFTS, ESPECIALLY WITH ANY VCTS/TS  
CONDITIONS THAT DEVELOP NEAR ANY TERMINALS. THE BEST TIMING FOR  
CONVECTION CONTINUES TO BE AROUND 02-05Z, BUT REMAINS AS A PROB30  
GROUP DUE TO UNCERTAINTIES ON HOW THINGS EVOLVE GOING INTO THE  
AFTERNOON HOURS. CEILINGS WITH ANY TS WILL GENERALLY BE AOA 8 KFT,  
WITH SKIES CLEARING GOING THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. A SECOND  
PREVAILING GROUP LATE THIS EVENING OUT OF THE NORTH WAS INTRODUCED  
AS A NORTHERLY OUTFLOW MAY REACH THE TERMINALS PRIOR TO A RETURN  
TO EITHER LIGHT AND VARIABLE OR LIGHT SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS GOING  
INTO TOMORROW MORNING.  
 
SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA/SOUTHWEST ARIZONA INCLUDING KIPL AND KBLH:  
NO MAJOR AVIATION CONCERNS ARE ANTICIPATED DURING THE NEXT 24  
HOURS. SOME LIGHT SHOWER ACTIVITY CONTINUE TO BE OBSERVED OVER  
PARTS OF SE CA THIS MORNING, SO A SHOWER IN THE VICINITY OF A  
TERMINAL (MAINLY KBLH) CANNOT BE RULED OUT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON.  
WINDS WILL FOLLOW TYPICAL DIURNAL TRENDS, SE TO W'RLY A KIPL, AND  
S'RLY AT KBLH WITH OCCASIONAL AFTERNOON BREEZINESS AROUND 20 KTS.  
OUTSIDE OF A FEW-SCT MID-LEVEL CLOUDS THIS MORNING, SKIES SHOULD  
BE MOSTLY CLEAR THROUGH THE PERIOD.  
 

 
   
FIRE WEATHER
 
 
INCREASED MOISTURE ALONG WITH AN INCOMING WEATHER SYSTEM IS  
EXPECTED TO BRING AN ACTIVE DAY TODAY ACROSS THE EASTERN  
DISTRICTS. SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES TODAY ACROSS THE  
EASTERN DISTRICTS ARE BETWEEN 30-50% WITH GUSTY ERRATIC WINDS  
LIKELY TO OCCUR WITH THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. HUMIDITIES WILL  
CONTINUE TO IMPROVE TODAY WITH MINRHS OF 20-30% FOR THE EASTERN  
DISTRICTS TO 15-20% FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICTS. A DRYING TREND  
WILL BEGIN THURSDAY WITH MUCH MORE ISOLATED CHANCES FOR SHOWERS  
AND THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICTS. MINRHS THURSDAY WILL  
MAINLY DIP TO BETWEEN 15-20%. EVEN DRIER AIR WILL FILTER INTO THE  
REGION BY THE WEEKEND WITH MINRHS FALLING TO 10-15% BY SUNDAY.  
TEMPERATURES WILL RUN NEAR NORMAL THROUGH SATURDAY BEFORE HEATING  
UP AGAIN INTO NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
PSR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
AZ...BLOWING DUST ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR AZZ553-554.  
 
CA...NONE.  

 
 

 
 
SHORT TERM/LONG TERM...KUHLMAN/95  
AVIATION...YOUNG/RW  
FIRE WEATHER...KUHLMAN  
 
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