489  
FXUS65 KPSR 301003  
AFDPSR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ  
303 AM MST WED JUL 30 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES WITH LOWER DESERT HIGHS BETWEEN  
108-113 DEGREES WILL RESULT IN WIDESPREAD MODERATE HEATRISK INTO  
NEXT WEEK AND LOCALIZED MAJOR HEATRISK IN THE PHOENIX AREA  
MAINLY ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.  
 
- LIMITED MONSOON MOISTURE WILL BRING DAILY CHANCES OF EASTERN  
ARIZONA HIGH TERRAIN STORMS THROUGH FRIDAY. A FEW SHOWERS OR  
STORMS MAY BE POSSIBLE INTO THE SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA LOWER  
DESERTS ON THURSDAY.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY/
 
 
MODEL GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SHOW LOWER POTENTIAL OF MEANINGFUL  
MOISTURE SEEPING WESTWARD INTO CENTRAL PARTS OF ARIZONA OVER THE  
NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. THE TROUGH AXIS CURRENTLY SITUATED ACROSS NEW  
MEXICO INTO CHIHUAHUA MEXICO IS NOT EXPECTED TO MAKE MUCH MORE  
WESTWARD PROGRESS, AT MOST REACHING FAR SOUTHEAST ARIZONA LATER  
THURSDAY INTO EARLY FRIDAY. MOISTURE LEVELS ARE CURRENTLY QUITE  
LOW OVER MUCH OF OUR AREA WITH PWATS OVER THE LOWER DESERTS  
RANGING FROM 0.5-0.8" TO AS HIGH AS 1.0-1.2" ACROSS FAR  
SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWER AND  
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS AGAIN EXPECTED TODAY ACROSS FAR EASTERN  
ARIZONA. MOISTURE IS EXPECTED IMPROVE SOME FOR THURSDAY WITH  
PWATS OF 1.0-1.2" SPREADING WESTWARD INTO PORTIONS OF THE SOUTH-  
CENTRAL ARIZONA LOWER DESERTS, BUT THIS WILL NOT LIKELY BE ENOUGH  
FOR MUCH IN THE WAY OF SHOWER AND STORM CHANCES. THE UPPER LEVELS  
WILL CONTINUE TO ACT TO SUPPRESS THE CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL,  
ALLOWING AT MOST A 10% CHANCE OF A SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM INTO  
THE PHOENIX AREA THURSDAY EVENING.  
 
THE MAIN FORECAST CONCERN FOR THE LOWER DESERTS WILL CONTINUE TO  
BE THE HOT TEMPERATURES WITH MODELS TRENDING HOTTER WITH EACH  
SUCCESSIVE MODEL RUN DUE TO THE SHIFT TOWARD LESS MOISTURE. H5  
HEIGHTS ARE FORECAST TO REMAIN BETWEEN 593-596DM THROUGH THURSDAY  
PROVIDING DAILY HIGHS BETWEEN 107-111 DEGREES ACROSS THE LOWER  
DESERTS, OR BETWEEN 3-6 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. WIDESPREAD MODERATE  
HEATRISK WILL AFFECT ALL BUT THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS DURING THIS  
TIME.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
 
 
CONCERN FOR LOCALIZED MAJOR HEATRISK IS GROWING FOR FRIDAY AND  
SATURDAY ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA, INCLUDING THE  
PHOENIX METRO. THE LATEST MODEL RUN CONTINUES TO TREND AWAY FROM  
ANY RAIN CHANCES FOR THE LOWER DESERTS ON FRIDAY, WHILE THE RIDGE  
CENTER IS NOW MORE LIKELY TO SET UP OVER SOUTHERN ARIZONA WITH H5  
HEIGHTS AS HIGH AS 597-598DM. THE LATEST NBM FORECAST TEMPERATURES  
NOW SHOW HIGHS BETWEEN 110-113 DEGREES FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY  
ACROSS THE LOWER DESERTS WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE PHOENIX METRO  
BETWEEN 85-90 DEGREES. THIS SHIFT HAS RESULTED IN A GROWING AREA  
OF MAJOR HEATRISK WITH A COVERAGE OF 10-20% ACROSS THE PHOENIX  
METRO. WILL HOLD OFF ON ANY EXTREME HEAT WATCHES OR WARNINGS FOR  
NOW, BUT IF GUIDANCE TRENDS ANY HOTTER HEAT PRODUCTS ARE LIKELY TO  
BE NEEDED.  
 
WE ARE EXPECTING SOME LINGERING MOISTURE ACROSS THE EASTERN 1/3RD  
OF ARIZONA ON FRIDAY, BUT WITH THE HIGH CENTER SETTING UP  
DIRECTLY OVER SOUTHERN ARIZONA ANY CHANCES FOR SHOWERS OR STORMS  
SHOULD BE LIMITED TO HIGHER TERRAIN AREAS. MORE ORGANIZED WESTERLY  
DRY FLOW WILL ALSO SET UP FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY WITH PWATS QUICKLY  
DROPPING TO AROUND 0.75" ON SATURDAY, MOSTLY ENDING ANY RAIN  
CHANCES EVEN OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. THIS DRY WESTERLY FLOW IS  
EXPECTED TO AT LEAST PERSIST THROUGH SUNDAY, BUT BY MONDAY MODELS  
BEGIN TO SHIFT THE HIGH CENTER MORE OVER NEW MEXICO. IF THIS SHIFT  
OCCURS, IT MAY ALLOW FOR SOME MOISTURE TO BEGIN SEEPING BACK  
NORTHWARD INTO SOUTHERN ARIZONA AS EARLY AS MONDAY. LIMITED 10%  
POPS HAVE ADDED ACROSS THE PHOENIX METRO FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY  
WITH CHANCES CLOSER TO 20% OVER THE EASTERN ARIZONA HIGH TERRAIN.  
 
TEMPERATURES ARE LIKELY TO TAKE A SLIGHT DIP OF A COUPLE OF  
DEGREES SUNDAY INTO MONDAY AS THE RIDGE SHIFTS AWAY FROM THE AREA  
AND WEAKENS SLIGHTLY. HOWEVER, WE ARE STILL ANTICIPATING THE  
ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES TO CONTINUE WITH HIGHS BETWEEN 107-111  
DEGREES ACROSS THE LOWER DESERTS. LOOKING OUT TOWARD THE LATTER  
HALF OF NEXT WEEK, GUIDANCE IS STILL POINTING AT A RESTRENGTHENING  
OF THE RIDGE AND THE POTENTIAL RETURN OF EXTREME HEAT.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
UPDATED AT 0555Z.  
 
SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA INCLUDING KPHX, KIWA, KSDL, AND KDVT:  
NO AVIATION WEATHER CONCERNS ARE ANTICIPATED THROUGH THE FORECAST  
PERIOD. WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW DIURNAL PATTERNS WITH SPEEDS  
MAINLY AOB 8 KTS, ALTHOUGH A FEW GUSTS INTO THE UPPER TEENS CAN  
BE EXPECTED TOMORROW AFTERNOON. SKIES WILL REMAIN MOSTLY CLEAR  
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A FEW PASSING MID-HIGH LVL CLOUDS.  
 
SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA/SOUTHWEST ARIZONA INCLUDING KIPL AND KBLH:  
NO AVIATION WEATHER CONCERNS UNDER CLEAR SKIES CAN BE EXPECTED  
THROUGHOUT THE TAF PERIOD. WINDS WILL REMAIN PRIMARILY WESTERLY AT  
KIPL AND SOUTHERLY AT KBLH. BOTH TERMINALS WILL ALSO EXPERIENCE  
PERIODS OF CALM AND VRB WINDS, ESPECIALLY NEAR SUNRISE WEDNESDAY  
MORNING.  
 

 
   
FIRE WEATHER
 
 
LIMITED MONSOON MOISTURE WILL PROVIDE FOR DAILY CHANCES FOR  
SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS PRIMARILY OVER THE EASTERN  
ARIZONA HIGH TERRAIN. CHANCES FOR WETTING RAINS WILL REMAIN BELOW  
10% RESULTING IN AT LEAST MINOR RISK OF DRY LIGHTNING. AFTERNOON  
MINRHS THROUGH FRIDAY WILL REMAIN BETWEEN 10-15% ACROSS THE LOWER  
DESERTS TO 15-20% IN HIGHER TERRAIN AREAS. OUTSIDE OF THE  
INFLUENCE OF THUNDERSTORMS, WINDS WILL GENERALLY FOLLOW DIURNAL  
TENDENCIES WITH TYPICAL AFTERNOON UPSLOPE GUSTINESS. TEMPERATURES  
WILL REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL WITH LOWER DESERT HIGHS MOSTLY BETWEEN  
108-112 DEGREES. HIGH PRESSURE WILL AGAIN TAKE OVER ACROSS THE  
REGION BY THE WEEKEND WITH CONDITIONS DRYING OUT FURTHER. THIS  
WILL PUSH HUMIDITIES INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS AND END ANY RAIN  
CHANCES.  
 

 
   
PSR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
AZ...NONE.  
CA...NONE.  

 
 

 
 
SHORT TERM...KUHLMAN  
LONG TERM...KUHLMAN  
AVIATION...SALERNO  
FIRE WEATHER...KUHLMAN  
 
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