937
FXUS65 KPSR 180540
AFDPSR
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
1040 PM MST SUN MAY 17 2026
UPDATE
UPDATED 06Z AVIATION DISCUSSION.
KEY MESSAGES
- WIDESPREAD BREEZY TO LOCALLY WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THIS
AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING, AND WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT
THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING ACROSS SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA
FOLLOWING A COLD FRONT.
- ELEVATED TO LOCALLY CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE
ANTICIPATED FOR A FEW HOURS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR THE
EASTERN ARIZONA HIGHER TERRAIN, WHERE A RED FLAG WARNING WILL BE
IN EFFECT.
- AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR NORMAL TODAY AND THEN
DROP TO 4 TO 6 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY
BEFORE SLOWLY WARMING BACK UP AGAIN.
SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH MONDAY/
BROAD TROUGHING CONTINUES TO ENCOMPASS THE WESTERN CONUS WITH BREEZY
TO WINDY CONDITIONS AGAIN TODAY AND INTO EARLY MONDAY MORNING.
ANOTHER SHORTWAVE WILL BE DROPPING SOUTH THROUGH NV THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING BEFORE PROGRESSING EASTWARD ACROSS UT AND CO MONDAY
MORNING. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL TIGHTEN IN RESPONSE LEADING TO
ANOTHER WAVE OF BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS LASTING WELL INTO LATE
THIS EVENING. GUSTS ACROSS THE ENTIRE CWA WILL GENERALLY BE BETWEEN
25-35 MPH TONIGHT WITH EVEN STRONGER GUSTS (40+ MPH) IN SOUTHEAST
CA, AND THE HIGHER TERRAIN AREAS.
IN IMPERIAL COUNTY DOWNSLOPING WINDS THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING CAN EVEN
PUSH GUSTS UPWARDS OF 50 MPH. ADDITIONALLY, A DRY COLD FRONT IS
EXPECTED TO DROP SOUTH THROUGH SOUTHEAST CA AND SOUTHWEST AZ TONIGHT
WITH RATHER STRONG N-NW POST-FRONTAL WINDS, ESPECIALLY ACROSS
EASTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTY WHERE GUSTS UP TO 40-50 MPH ARE POSSIBLE.
DUE TO THESE FACTORS A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE
IMPERIAL VALLEY AREA AND THEN AN ADDITIONAL WIND ADVISORY WILL BEGIN
FOR RIVERSIDE COUNTY AND ALONG THE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY NEAR
MIDNIGHT TONIGHT, LASTING INTO THE MORNING HOURS. THE AREA OF MOST
CONCERN DURING THIS TIME WILL BE ALONG I-10, ESPECIALLY BETWEEN
DESERT CENTER AND THE INDIO VALLEY, WHERE HREF PROBABILITIES OF PEAK
WIND GUSTS >50 MPH ARE MAXIMIZED (60%), AND CAN RESULT IN BLOWING
DUST AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES.
THESE GUSTY WINDS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL NOT ONLY AFFECT
THE WESTERN REGION BUT IN THE EASTERN HIGHER TERRAIN AREAS LEADING
TO ELEVATED AND MARGINALLY CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. A RED
FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN GILA COUNTY AND THE
TONTO NATIONAL FOREST WHERE AFTERNOON AND EVENING WINDS ARE FORECAST
TO BE STRONGEST IN COMBINATION WITH MINIMUM RHS OF 10-15% AND DRY
FUELS.
OTHERWISE, AS THE SHORTWAVE TROUGHS PASS JUST TO THE NORTH OF OUR
REGION TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO BE AFFECTED, WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES
TODAY IN THE LOW TO MID 90S, OR RIGHT AROUND NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF
YEAR. TEMPERATURES DROP FURTHER FOR MONDAY WITH LOWER DESERTS LIKELY
FAILING TO REACH 90F. THERE WILL ALSO BE A NARROW BAND OF PBL
MOISTURE AND FORCING ALONG AND JUST AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT MONDAY
MORNING. ENOUGH TO AT LEAST LEAD TO SOME LOWER CLOUDS IN SOUTH-
CENTRAL AZ NEAR SUNRISE, OTHERWISE SKIES WILL BE MOSTLY CLEAR.
ADDITIONALLY, THERE ARE A COUPLE HREF MEMBERS PRODUCING A FEW
SPRINKLE SHOWERS OUT OF THESE CLOUDS, BUT OVERALL POP IS UNDER
10%.
LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/
AS THE POTENT WEEKEND SHORTWAVE TROUGH DEPARTS THE MOUNTAIN WEST,
TO DRIVE SEVERE WEATHER IN THE PLAINS, A MEASURE OF BROAD
CYCLONIC FLOW OVER THE WESTERN U.S. WILL REMAIN AND LIKELY
PERSIST THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE UPCOMING WORK WEEK. HEIGHTS
ALOFT WILL REBOUND THOUGH, CLOSER TO SEASONAL AVERAGES, AND SO
TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO WARM THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK,
WITH SEASONALLY DRY CONDITIONS CONTINUING. MEANWHILE, A STRONG
MIDLEVEL RIDGE WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY OFF THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST COAST THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK, WITH MOST GLOBAL
GUIDANCE SHOWING A SUBTROPICAL JET FORMING UNDER THE RIDGE AND
DEVELOPING A FEW WEAK DISTURBANCES. A FEW OF WHICH MAY BE SENT
DOWNSTREAM AND NEAR/OVER THE SOUTHWEST U.S.. REGARDLESS OF THE
DETAILS AND HOW WEAK TROUGHING OVER THE WEST- CENTRAL CONUS
EVENTUALLY RESOLVES, ESSENTIALLY ALL SOLUTIONS CURRENTLY SHOW THE
REGION REMAINING COMPLETELY DRY, WITH PERIODS OF MID-HIGH LEVEL
CLOUDS AND SLOWLY WARMING TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE WORK WEEK.
AVIATION
UPDATED AT 0540Z.
SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA INCLUDING KPHX, KIWA, KSDL, AND KDVT:
THE MAIN AVIATION CONCERNS WILL BE A BRIEF PERIOD OF LOWER CLOUDS
(04-05 KFT AGL) TOMORROW MORNING. SW WINDS WITH AROUND 8-13 KT
WILL CONTINUE INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THERE IS STILL LOW
CONFIDENCE IN WINDS GOING SE DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS AND MAY BE
MORE SOUTHERLY. THIS SHIFT IS EXPECTED BETWEEN 09-11Z. A EARLY
SHIFT TO SW WINDS IS EXPECTED BY 14-15Z, WITH WINDS PICKING UP
SPEED INTO THE TEENS DURING THE AFTERNOON. SOME OCCASIONAL GUSTS
INTO THE UPPER TEENS ARE POSSIBLE DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY
EVENING HOURS. FEW HIGH CLOUDS WILL GRADUALLY MOVE OUT OVERNIGHT,
WITH FEW- SCT CU AS LOW AS 4-5 KFT AGL EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AROUND
SUNRISE, BUT ARE ONLY EXPECTED TO LAST FOR A FEW HOURS. THEN
MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES ARE EXPECTED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE TAF
PERIOD.
SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA/SOUTHWEST ARIZONA INCLUDING KIPL AND KBLH:
PERIODS OF GUSTY WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN AVIATION WEATHER CONCERNS
THROUGHOUT THE TAF PERIOD. AT KIPL, WIND GUSTS OF 20-25 KTS WILL
CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS BEFORE DECREASING TO AROUND
10-15 KT. AT KBLH, SW WINDS WITH SPEEDS OF 10-15 KT WILL CONTINUE
FOR THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS. A COLD FRONT WILL ENTER THE AREA FROM
THE N-NW AND SWITCH WINDS ABRUPTLY AT KBLH OVERNIGHT (AROUND
08-09Z) AND AT KIPL (AROUND 13Z) EARLY TOMORROW MORNING. BRIEF
VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS, DUE TO BLOWING/LOFTED DUST, WILL BE
POSSIBLE INITIALLY AT KBLH AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE
AREA. WINDS AT BOTH TERMINALS WILL THEN REMAIN OUT OF THE N-NW FOR
THE REMAINDER OF THE TAF PERIOD. GUSTS OF 20-25 KT ARE EXPECTED AT
KBLH FROM THE EARLY MORNING THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING. FEW HIGH
CLOUDS WILL CLEAR OUT OVERNIGHT WITH MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES EXPECTED
THE REST OF THE TAF PERIOD.
FIRE WEATHER
ELEVATED AND MARGINALLY CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR A FEW HOURS AS
WINDS INCREASE ACROSS THE REGION. A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN
EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN GILA COUNTY AND THE TONTO NATIONAL FOREST FOR
THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE WINDS WILL STEADILY
INCREASE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON, WITH PEAK WIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
(STRONGEST WINDS AND LOWEST RH) LIKELY BETWEEN 1500-2000MST. WIND
GUSTS IN THE WARNED AREA WILL PEAK AROUND 25-35 MPH AND RH VALUES
WILL MINIMIZE AROUND 10-15%. WHILE RH INCREASES ABOVE CRITICAL
LEVELS AFTER 2000MST THE ELEVATED BREEZES ARE LIKELY TO CONTINUE
THROUGH MIDNIGHT, WHICH MAY MAKE CONTROLLING ANY NEW/EXISTING
FIRES CHALLENGING. WIND GUSTS UP TO 25-35 MPH WILL BE COMMON
ACROSS ALL DISTRICTS THIS AFTERNOON, BUT WILL BE STRONGEST ACROSS
SOUTHEAST CA WITH WESTERLY SUNDOWNER WINDS IN IMPERIAL COUNTY UP
TO 40-50 MPH AND NORTHERLY GUSTS UP TO 35-50 MPH ACROSS MUCH OF
EASTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTY LATER TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY MONDAY
FOLLOWING A COLD FRONT PASSAGE AROUND MIDNIGHT. THERE WILL BE VERY
DRY AIR FOLLOWING THE FRONT THAT WILL CREATE ELEVATED FIRE
CONDITIONS ACROSS RIVERSIDE COUNTY, EVEN DURING THE OVERNIGHT
HOURS. MINIMUM RH VALUES WILL BE CLOSER TO 15-20% ACROSS THE
WESTERN DISTRICTS. LINGERING NORTHERLY BREEZINESS DOWN THE LOWER
COLORADO RIVER IS EXPECTED MONDAY, BUT THIS GRADIENT WIND SHOULD
WEAKEN HEADING INTO THE AFTERNOON AND WINDS ELSEWHERE MONDAY
AFTERNOON WILL BE WEAKER THAN TODAY WITH GUSTS UP TO 15-25 MPH.
BEYOND MONDAY, WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL BE SEASONALLY HOT AND DRY
(MIN RHS AROUND 5-15%), WITH WINDS MOSTLY REACHING UP TO 15-25 MPH
IN THE AFTERNOONS.
PSR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
AZ...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 11 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR AZZ133.
CA...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM PDT MONDAY FOR CAZ560-561-564-568>570.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 1 AM PDT MONDAY FOR CAZ562.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 11 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR CAZ563-566-567.
SHORT TERM...BENEDICT/RYAN
LONG TERM...BENEDICT/WHITTOCK
AVIATION...BERISLAVICH
FIRE WEATHER...BENEDICT/RYAN
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