920  
FXUS65 KPSR 071110  
AFDPSR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ  
410 AM MST SAT MAR 7 2026  
   
UPDATE
 
 
UPDATED AVIATION  
 

 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- LINGERING LOW PRESSURE WILL HELP KEEP BREEZY TO LOCALLY WINDY  
CONDITIONS IN THE FORECAST FOR TODAY.  
 
- 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 SUNDAY/
 
 
CURRENT RAP40 ANALYSIS OF H5 HEIGHTS SHOWS THE CORE OF THE TROUGH  
BEGINNING TO SPLIT, AND STARTING TO DEVELOP INTO THE CUT-OFF LOW  
MODELS HAVE BEEN HINTING AT THE PAST FEW DAYS. THIS LOW WILL  
CONTINUE TO BREAK OFF, TIGHTENING INTO A WELL DEVELOPED CUT-OFF LOW  
THROUGHOUT TODAY. BY THIS AFTERNOON THE CENTER OF THE LOW WILL BE  
OVER THE NORTHERN BAJA PENINSULA. THE NEGATIVE HEIGHT ANOMALIES  
ASSOCIATED WITH THE CUT-OFF WILL MILDLY EFFECT TODAYS AFTERNOON  
HIGHS WITH TEMPERATURES EXPECTED IN THE MID TO HIGH 70S ACROSS THE  
LOWER DESERTS. BY TOMORROW THE CUT OFF LOW WILL BE JUST OFF THE NW  
COAST THE BAJA PENINSULA, ALLOWING FOR H5 HEIGHTS OVER THE DESERT SW  
TO CLIMB NEAR 570-573 DAM. HIGH TEMPERATURES FOR SUNDAY IN RESPONSE  
WILL BE IN THE UPPER 80S, WITH SOME AREAS ACROSS THE LOWER DESERTS  
HAVING 15-25% CHANCE OF REACHING 90 DEGREES.  
 
A RELATIVELY ENHANCED PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL ALSO BE PRESENT THIS  
AFTERNOON, BRINGING BREEZY TO LOCALLY WINDY CONDITIONS ESPECIALLY  
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.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/
 
 
THE CUT-OFF LOW WILL BE FAIRLY STATIONARY OVER THE WEEKEND BUT COME  
MONDAY AFTERNOON WILL BEGIN ITS JOURNEY EASTWARDS OVER NORTHERN  
MEXICO/SOUTHERN ARIZONA. MOISTURE ADVECTION INTO THE REGION  
ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL BEGIN EARLY MONDAY MORNING AND WILL  
PEAK MONDAY EVENING INTO TUESDAY MORNING, WITH PWAT ANOMALIES AROUND  
180-200% OF NORMAL. MONDAY EVENING INTO EARLY TUESDAY MORNING WILL  
ALSO BE THE BEST CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION ACROSS MAINLY SOUTH  
CENTRAL ARIZONA (25-35%), AND EASTERN ARIZONA INTO THE HIGHER  
TERRAIN AREAS (45-55%). QPF TOTALS OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS HAVE  
TRENDED UPWARDS WITH SC AZ NOW BETWEEN 0.05-0.15" AND THE HIGHER  
TERRAIN AREAS BETWEEN 0.15-0.25".  
 
AS THE CORE OF THE CUT-OFF LOW PROGRESSES EASTWARDS OVER NORTHERN  
MEXICO/ SOUTHERN ARIZONA, TEMPERATURES WILL COOL INTO THE UPPER 70S  
FOR MONDAY AFTERNOON. AFTERWARDS, BY TUESDAY EVENING THE CUT-OFF LOW  
WILL BE EJECTING INTO WESTERN TEXAS AND INTO THE PLAINS. ONCE THE  
LOW IS TO THE REGION'S EAST, UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL TAKE PLACE  
OVER THE DESERT SW. WITH STRONG RIDGING MOVING IN, TEMPERATURES BY  
MID TO LATE NEXT WEEK WILL CLIMB TO 10-15 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL, WITH  
H5 HEIGHTS ABOVE THE 90TH PERCENTILE OF CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMAL.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
UPDATED AT 1110Z.  
 
SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA INCLUDING KPHX, KIWA, KSDL, AND KDVT:  
BRIEF PERIODS OF GUSTY WINDS, LOCALLY ERRATIC DIRECTIONS, AND TIMING  
OF WIND SHIFTS SKEWED LATER THAN USUAL WILL BE THE MAIN WEATHER  
ISSUES THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING UNDER SCATTERED MID/HIGH CLOUD DECKS.  
WHILE EAST WINDS WITH A FEW LATE MORNING/EARLY AFTERNOON GUSTS 15-  
20KT WILL BE COMMON, THERE IS SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE OF LOCAL SW WINDS  
AFTER SUNRISE AT KPHX. OTHERWISE, CONFIDENCE IS GOOD THAT A NW  
COMPONENT DEVELOPS FOR A FEW HOURS NEAR SUNSET BEFORE REVERTING TO  
THE FAVORED EAST DIRECTION.  
 
SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA/SOUTHWEST ARIZONA INCLUDING KIPL AND KBLH:  
PERIODS OF GUSTY N/NE WINDS WILL BE THE PRIMARY WEATHER ISSUE  
THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING UNDER MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES. CONFIDENCE IS GOOD  
THAT GUSTS 20-25KT WILL DEVELOP LATE MORNING ACROSS THE REGION  
BEFORE DECOUPLING AND RELAXING AFTER SUNSET.  
 

 
   
FIRE WEATHER
 
 
THE CURRENT PASSING SYSTEM CONTINUES TO BRING MOSTLY DIURNAL WINDS  
ACROSS THE REGION, AND WILL BEGIN TO STRENGTHEN BRINGING BREEZY TO  
WINDY CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON, MAINLY IN THE WESTERN DISTRICTS.  
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 30-45% 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. MONDAY'S WEATHER SYSTEM WILL HELP SHORTLY INCREASE MINRHS TO  
BETWEEN 30-40% WITH GOOD OVERNIGHT RECOVERIES BEFORE RETURNING TO  
DRIER CONDITIONS BY MID NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
PSR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
AZ...NONE.  
CA...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL NOON PST TODAY FOR CAZ560-561-564-568>570.  
 

 
 

 
 
SHORT TERM...RYAN/RW  
LONG TERM...RYAN  
AVIATION...18  
FIRE WEATHER...RYAN  
 
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