287  
FXUS65 KPSR 281741  
AFDPSR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ  
1041 AM MST TUE APR 28 2026  
   
UPDATE
 
18Z AVIATION DISCUSSION.  
 

 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES THROUGH MID WEEK WILL TURN HOTTER GOING  
INTO THE WEEKEND WITH LOWER DESERT HIGHS INTO THE NINETIES AS  
EARLY AS FRIDAY.  
 
- A WEATHER SYSTEM FOR THURSDAY MAY BRING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A  
FEW ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH THE BEST AREA OF FOCUS ACROSS  
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
 
 
THE QUIET WEATHER WILL CONTINUE TODAY UNDER DRY WESTERLY FLOW.  
HOWEVER, A SLIGHT BUMP IN UPPER LEVEL HEIGHTS COMPARED TO  
YESTERDAY WILL PROVIDE A BOOST TO TEMPERATURES AS DAYTIME HIGHS  
RISE INTO THE MID 80S TODAY. ADDITIONALLY, A PACIFIC WEATHER  
SYSTEM ROUGHLY 900 MILES WEST OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WILL  
GRADUALLY STRENGTHEN AND START TO MAKE MORE EASTWARD PROGRESS  
TODAY INTO WEDNESDAY. FARTHER TO THE SOUTH, A MODESTLY STRONG  
SUB-TROPICAL JET WILL BEGIN TO DRIFT NORTHWARD CONNECTING WITH  
THE PACIFIC DISTURBANCE. THE NORTHWARD PUSH OF THE JET WILL ALSO  
HELP TO USHER IN A GOOD AMOUNT OF UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE AND CLOUDS  
BY TONIGHT AND LIKELY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. DESPITE THE INCREASE IN  
CLOUDS OVER AT LEAST SOUTHERN AND EASTERN ARIZONA ON WEDNESDAY,  
TEMPERATURES SHOULD RISE ANOTHER 2-3 DEGREES WITH THE WARMEST  
SPOTS POTENTIALLY REACHING 90 DEGREES.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/
 
 
THE UNCERTAINTY WITH THE PACIFIC WEATHER SYSTEM IS STILL AN ISSUE,  
BUT MODEL TRENDS OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS HAVE PULLED THE TRACK MORE  
TO THE SOUTH ACROSS NORTHERN MEXICO. IF THESE TRENDS HOLD TRUE,  
THE SYSTEM SHOULD BRING LESS IMPACTS TO OUR AREA THAN PREVIOUSLY  
THOUGHT. THE LATEST NBM POPS REFLECT THE MORE EXPECTED SOUTHERN  
TRACK WITH POPS DECREASING BY AN AVERAGE OF 10-15% FROM THE  
FORECAST PACKAGE 24 HOURS AGO. POPS NOW SHOW 10-25% ACROSS THE  
SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA LOWER DESERTS TO AT MOST 30-40% OVER THE  
EASTERN ARIZONA HIGHER TERRAIN. THE MORE SOUTHERN TRACK WOULD LEAD  
TO LESS MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY, SO THE CHANCE FOR ANY ISOLATED  
THUNDERSTORMS HAS ALSO GONE DOWN TO MORE OF A 5-10% CHANCE ON  
THURSDAY. IN ADDITION TO THE LOWER RAIN CHANCES, FORECAST  
TEMPERATURES HAVE ALSO GONE BACK UP FOR THURSDAY WITH READINGS NOW  
BACK INTO THE UPPER 80S IN THE PHOENIX AREA TO THE LOWER 90S  
ACROSS SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA.  
 
STARTING FRIDAY, WE MAY START TO HAVE SOME INFLUENCE FROM A RIDGE  
BUILDING IN FROM THE WEST. TEMPERATURES MAY ALSO RESPOND TO THIS  
INCOMING RIDGE WITH HIGHS RISING INTO THE MID 90S ACROSS THE  
WESTERN LOWER DESERTS TO THE LOWER 90S IN THE PHOENIX AREA.  
ANOTHER DEVELOPING PACIFIC LOW OFF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA OVER  
THE COMING WEEKEND MAY CAUSE THE RIDGE TO AMPLIFY EVEN MORE ACROSS  
OUR REGION POTENTIALLY PUSHING DAYTIME HIGHS INTO THE UPPER 90S  
BY SUNDAY. EVENTUALLY, THIS LARGE PACIFIC LOW IS FAVORED TO INCH  
INTO OUR REGION EARLY NEXT WEEK RESULTING IN A RETURN OF BREEZY TO  
WINDY CONDITIONS, COOLER TEMPERATURES, AND POSSIBLY SOME HIGHER  
TERRAIN RAIN CHANCES.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
UPDATED AT 1740Z.  
 
SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA INCLUDING KPHX, KIWA, KSDL, AND KDVT:  
NO MAJOR AVIATION CONCERNS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD.  
WINDS WILL FOLLOW TYPICAL DIURNAL TENDENCIES, WITH SPEEDS BELOW  
10 KTS. HIGH CLOUDS WILL PROGRESSIVELY THICKEN THROUGHOUT THE  
PERIOD TO SCT-BKN.  
 
SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA/SOUTHWEST ARIZONA INCLUDING KIPL AND KBLH:  
NO MAJOR AVIATION CONCERNS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD.  
EXPECT PERIODS OF LIGHT AND VARIABLE THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON WITH  
W-NW WINDS CONTINUING TO PREVAIL THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE  
FORECAST PERIOD AT KIPL. AT KBLH S-SE WINDS EXPECTED THIS  
AFTERNOON SHIFTING W-NW BY THIS EVENING WITH PERIODS OF LIGHT AND  
VARIABLE. WIND SPEEDS HAVE RELAXED AND WILL REMAIN BELOW 10 KTS,  
WITH MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES THIS AFTERNOON AND INCREASING HIGH CLOUDS  
ANTICIPATED LATER THIS EVENING.  
 

 
   
FIRE WEATHER
 
 
DRY CONDITIONS ALONG WITH WARMING TEMPERATURES WILL BE OBSERVED  
THROUGH WEDNESDAY. WINDS WILL REMAIN FAIRLY LIGHT FOLLOWING  
DIURNAL TRENDS. MINRH VALUES WILL DROP FURTHER REACHING 10-15%  
BOTH TODAY AND WEDNESDAY. OVERNIGHT RECOVERIES WILL ALSO BECOME  
GENERALLY POOR BY TUESDAY NIGHT/WEDNESDAY MORNING AS VALUES  
DECREASE TOWARD 25-40%. A WEATHER SYSTEM IS THEN FORECAST TO MOVE  
JUST TO SOUTH OF THE REGION CENTERED ON THURSDAY LEADING TO  
INCREASED RH AND CHANCES FOR RAIN FOCUSED MORE TOWARD SOUTHEAST  
ARIZONA.  
 

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

 
 

 
 
SHORT TERM...KUHLMAN  
LONG TERM...KUHLMAN  
AVIATION...95/RYAN  
FIRE WEATHER...KUHLMAN  
 
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