635  
FXUS65 KPSR 062021  
AFDPSR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ  
121 PM MST FRI MAR 6 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- LINGERING LOW PRESSURE WILL HELP KEEP BREEZY TO LOCALLY WINDY  
CONDITIONS IN THE FORECAST THROUGH SATURDAY.  
 
- A WEATHER SYSTEM CONTINUES TO MEANDER NEAR THE REGION THROUGH  
THE START OF NEXT WEEK, ALLOWING FOR AN INCREASE IN RAIN  
POTENTIAL FOR MONDAY  
 
- HIGH PRESSURE, ALONG WITH CONSISTENT ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES,  
MAKE THEIR RETURN BY THE MIDDLE PORTION OF NEXT WEEK.  
 
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY/
 
 
CURRENT OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS REVEALS TROUGHING CENTERED OVER THE  
ROCKIES WITH A HIGH AMPLITUDE RIDGE OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC.  
MEANWHILE, THE DESERT SOUTHWEST FINDS ITSELF IN A BIT OF A  
TRANSITION ZONE AS THE PREVIOSULY-MENTIONED WEATHER SYSTEM STARTS TO  
EJECT EASTWARD. HOWEVER, AS THIS DISTURBANCE MIGRATES AWAY FROM THE  
REGION, A PIECE OF SHORTWAVE ENERGY IS EXPECTED TO BREAK OFF FROM  
THE MAIN FLOW AND DIG FURTHER TO THE SOUTH, EVENTUALLY SETTLING  
AS A CUT-OFF LOW. DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF A RELATIVELY ENHANCED  
PRESSURE GRADIENT, BREEZY TO LOCALLY WINDY CONDITIONS WILL REMAIN  
IN THE FORECAST THROUGH SATURDAY, MAINLY FOR AREAS AROUND THE  
LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY AND WESTWARD. GUSTS 25- 35 MPH WILL BE  
COMMON ACROSS THESE AREAS, WITH LOCALLY HIGHER GUSTS FOCUSED OVER  
ENHANCED TERRAIN FEATURES. GIVEN THE HIGH LIKELIHOOD OF ACHIEVING  
GUSTS GREATER THAN 40 MPH, A WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN POSTED FOR  
PORTIONS OF SE CALIFORNIA FOR SATURDAY MORNING HOURS.  
 
IN TERMS OF TEMPERATURES, THIS AFTERNOON LOOKS LIKELY TO BE THE  
COOLEST DAY FOR AT LEAST THE NEXT WEEK AS THE ABOVE-MENTIONED TROUGH  
AND ITS ASSOCIATED COOLER AIR SIT IN CLOSE PROXIMITY. LOWER DESERT  
HIGHS THIS AFTERNOON WILL RANGE BETWEEN THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 70S,  
RIGHT AROUND AND EVEN A FEW DEGREES COOLER THAN NORMAL FOR THIS TIME  
OF YEAR. AS THE CUT-OFF LOW DEVELOPS AND SAGS FURTHER SOUTH, HEIGHTS  
ALOFT WILL REBOUND SLIGHTLY, ALLOWING FOR A BUM UP IN TEMPERATURES  
FOR SATURDAY WHEN MIDDLE 70S TO AROUND 80 DEGREE READINGS WILL BE  
COMMON FOR MUCH OF THE REGION.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/
 
 
MODELS REMAIN IN AGREEMENT THAT THE CUT-OFF LOW WILL BE POSITIONED  
OVER THE NORTHERN BAJA PENINSULA BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND WILL  
STALL IN THAT POSITION THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND. AS THIS CUT-OFF  
REMAINS STATIONARY TO THE REGION'S SW, IT WILL ALLOW H5 HEIGHTS  
ALOFT TO INCREASE TO AROUND 570-573 DAM OVER THE LOWER DESERTS ON  
SUNDAY. THIS WILL CAUSE TEMPERATURES TO INCREASE FURTHER INTO THE  
MID TO UPPER 80S SUNDAY AFTERNOON, WITH LITTLE RELIEF AS SKIES WILL  
ALSO REMAIN CLEAR. RESULTING IN MINOR HEATRISK ACROSS THE LOWER  
DESERTS ON SUNDAY. BY MONDAY AFTERNOON THE CUT-OFF LOW WILL BEGIN TO  
PROGRESS EASTWARDS OVER NORTHERN MEXICO/SOUTHERN ARIZONA.  
UNCERTAINTY REMAINS IN THE AMOUNT OF MOISTURE LIKELY TO BE ADVECTED  
INTO THE REGION DURING THE SYSTEM'S MOVEMENT, WITH MANY MODELS NOW  
PUSHING THE BEST MOISTURE ADVECTION AND PRECIPITATION CHANCES TO  
MONDAY AFTERNOON INTO EARLY TUESDAY MORNING, COMPARED TO PREVIOUS  
RUNS PROJECTING SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON. MOST  
PRECIPITATION CHANCES REMAIN LOW (20-30%) WITH EXPECTED QPF TOTALS  
ANYWHERE FROM 0.00-0.05" ACROSS THE LOWER DESERTS AND 0.05-0.15" IN  
THE HIGHER TERRAIN. CONTINUED MONITORING OF THIS SYSTEM WILL BE  
NEEDED OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAY.  
 
AS MENTIONED EARLIER, THE CORE OF THE CUT-OFF LOW WILL BEGIN TO  
PROGRESS EASTWARDS OVER NORTHERN MEXICO/ SOUTHERN ARIZONA STARTING  
MONDAY, LEADING TO TEMPERATURES COOLING INTO THE UPPER 70S - HIGH  
80S. BY TUESDAY EVENING, THE CUT-OFF LOW WILL BE EJECTING INTO  
WESTERN TEXAS AND INTO THE PLAINS. AFTERWARDS THE DESERT SW H5  
HEIGHTS WILL THEN BE ABLE TO STEADILY CLIMB, LEADING TO A STEADY  
INCREASE IN TEMPERATURES WITH HIGHS BACK IN THE MID TO HIGH 80S BY  
WEDNESDAY AND LIKELY INTO THE LOW 90S BY LATE NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
UPDATED AT 1755Z.  
 
SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA INCLUDING KPHX, KIWA, KSDL, AND KDVT:  
THE ONLY WEATHER ISSUE THAT WILL EXIST DURING THE TAF PERIOD WILL  
BE OCCASIONALLY GUSTY WINDS DURING THE DAYTIME HOURS TODAY AND  
SATURDAY. WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO FAVOR A WESTERLY DIRECTION  
THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING. WIND SPEEDS BETWEEN 6-10 KTS SUSTAINED  
AND OCCASIONAL HIGHER GUSTS WILL BE COMMON THROUGH EARLY THIS  
EVENING, FOLLOWED BY GENERALLY LIGHTER WINDS ESTABLISHING OUT OF  
THE EAST OVERNIGHT, THEN EASTERLY WINDS WILL PICK UP A FEW HOURS  
AFTER SUNRISE SATURDAY. ANTICIPATE EASTERLY GUSTS TO DEVELOP  
BETWEEN 16-19Z ACROSS THE TERMINALS, WITH LOW CONFIDENCE ON EXACT  
MAGNITUDES OF THE GUSTS BUT AT LEAST REACHING A 15-20 KT RANGE FOR  
A TIME. SKC SKIES WILL GIVE WAY TO PERIODS OF FEW-SCT MID TO HIGH  
CLOUDS DECKS THIS EVENING INTO SATURDAY.  
 
SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA/SOUTHWEST ARIZONA INCLUDING KIPL AND KBLH:  
GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS WILL BE THE PRIMARY AVIATION WEATHER ISSUE  
UNDER PERIODS OF FEW-SCT MID TO HIGH CLOUD DECKS AND OTHERWISE  
MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES. NORTHERLY GUSTS HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED AT THE  
TERMINALS AND ARE EXPECTED TO BE STRONGER AT KBLH (20-25 KTS) THAN  
KIPL (15-20 KTS) THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. CONFIDENCE IS MODERATE  
THAT GUSTS WILL SUBSIDE OVERNIGHT BEFORE PICKING BACK UP OUT OF  
THE NORTH NORTHEAST SATURDAY MID MORNING. IF A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT  
OF DECOUPLING OCCURS OVERNIGHT INTO EARLY SATURDAY MORNING, MODEST  
LLWS CONDITIONS MAY ONCE AGAIN DEVELOP, THOUGH CONFIDENCE REMAINS  
VERY LOW ON LLWS MEETING CRITERIA FOR INCLUDING IN THE TAF. DURING  
PERIODS OF STRONGER NORTHERLY WINDS, HAZY CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP  
DUE TO LOFTED DUST, BRIEFLY REDUCING VIS BELOW 10SM.  
 

 
   
FIRE WEATHER
 
 
THE WEATHER PATTERN WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY ACTIVE THROUGH THE  
REST OF THE WEEK AS A SERIES OF DRY DISTURBANCES CROSS THE  
SOUTHWEST. THE CURRENT PASSING SYSTEM CONTINUES TO BRING LIGHT  
DIURNAL WINDS WHICH WILL BEGIN TO STRENGTHEN BRINGING BREEZY TO  
WINDY CONDITIONS TODAY AND SATURDAY, ESPECIALLY DURING THE  
AFTERNOON HOURS. DRY CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE REGION  
WITH MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES STAYING ENTRENCHED BETWEEN  
10-15% THROUGH SUNDAY, WHILE OVERNIGHT RECOVERIES WILL ONLY REACH  
THE 30-50% RANGE. PEAK WIND GUSTS OF 25-35 MPH ACROSS SOUTHEAST  
CALIFORNIA AND INTO THE HIGH ELEVATIONS WILL CONTINUE, LEADING TO  
ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS BEFORE A POTENTIAL SLIGHT INCREASE  
IN MOISTURE ARRIVES MONDAY.  
 

 
   
PSR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
AZ...NONE.  
CA...WIND ADVISORY FROM 2 AM TO NOON PST SATURDAY FOR CAZ560-561-564-  
568>570.  
 

 
 

 
 
SHORT TERM...RW  
LONG TERM...RYAN  
AVIATION...WHITTOCK  
FIRE WEATHER...RYAN  
 
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