255  
FXUS65 KPSR 050526  
AFDPSR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ  
1026 PM MST TUE AUG 4 2026  
   
UPDATE...UPDATED 06Z AVIATION DISCUSSION  
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- EXTREME HEAT WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK WITH  
TEMPERATURES HOVERING NEAR TO SEVERAL DEGREE ABOVE NORMAL.  
 
- SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL FAVOR EAST AND SOUTHEAST  
ARIZONA THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK WITH GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS AND  
BLOWING DUST THE MOST LIKELY IMPACTS FOR SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY/  
 
ELONGATED SUBTROPICAL RIDGING WAS MERIDIONALLY BISECTING ARIZONA  
THIS AFTERNOON WITH A H5 594DM ANTI-CYCLONE CENTER OVER WESTERN NEW  
MEXICO. THIS CONFIGURATION WAS CONFINING SHORTWAVES IN ENHANCED  
EASTERLY FLOW OVER NORTHERN SONORA WITH VERY WEAK FLOW AND MORE  
NEUTRAL ASCENT STRUCTURE CLOSER TO THE HIGH PRESSURE CORE COVERING  
THE CWA. DESPITE STRONG THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOWS IMPORTING 11-12 G/KG  
BOUNDARY LAYER MIXING RATIOS INTO THE MAJORITY OF THE FORECAST AREA  
THIS MORNING, EXCEPTIONALLY WARM AIR AT THE TOP OF THE MIXING DEPTH  
HAS CONTRIBUTED TO STRONG INHIBITION WITH FORECAST CINH IN EXCESS OF  
100 J/KG THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. AS A RESULT, IT WOULD REQUIRE  
MULTIPLE DEEP OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES TO RELEASE INSTABILITY THIS  
AFTERNOON/EVENING, AND LITTLE TO NO MODELING SUGGESTS MORE THAN  
RESIDUAL, ISOLATED MIDLEVEL SHOWERS/VIRGA. INSTEAD, ANOTHER ROUND OF  
GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS EMANATING IN FAR SOUTHERN ARIZONA WILL BE  
POSSIBLE MID/LATE EVENING ACROSS SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA, THOUGH THE  
MAGNITUDE AND EXTENT OF IMPACTS APPEARS LESS THAN MONDAY.  
 
THE SYNOPTIC TREND OVER THE NEXT 72 HOURS IS TOWARDS THE MIGRATION  
OF THE ANTI-CYCLONE CENTER INTO SOUTHERN UTAH WHILE INCREASING IN  
BOTH MAGNITUDE AND BREADTH AS THE H5 CORE APPROACHES 600DM. WHILE  
THIS NORTHWARD SHIFT WOULD TEND TO SUPPORT INCREASING CONVECTIVE  
CHANCES WITH COOLER LOWER/MIDDLE TROPOSPHERIC TEMPERATURES AND  
INCREASED EASTERLY FLOW, THE STRENGTHENING ANTI-CYCLONE WILL  
GENERALLY NEGATE THESE TENDENCIES IMPARTING GROWING SUBSIDENCE AND  
EXPANSION OF THE WARM CORE ALOFT. THIS WILL CREATE AN EBBING EFFECT  
ON BOTH TEMPERATURES AND CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL. AFTERNOON HIGHS  
SHOULD RETREAT CLOSER TO DAILY NORMALS WEDNESDAY WITH ONLY MINOR TO  
MODERATE HEATRISK, BUT THEN QUICKLY RESUME A WARMING TREND THURSDAY  
AS AREAS OF MAJOR HEATRISK RE-EMERGE. SIMILARLY, THERMODYNAMIC  
CONDITIONS APPEAR SLIGHTLY MORE FAVORABLE FOR THUNDERSTORM  
DEVELOPMENT ACROSS LOWER ELEVATIONS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING AS  
CINH LIKELY DROPS BELOW 50 J/KG WHERE MULTIPLE, COLLIDING OUTFLOWS  
COULD BREACH THIS INHIBITION. SURPRISINGLY, NOTHING IN THE HREF  
SUITE SUPPORTS LOWER ELEVATION STORMS RESULTING IN VERY LOW POPS,  
BUT IT WOULDN'T BE UNEXPECTED IF SOMEWHAT BETTER CHANCES  
MATERIALIZE.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY/  
 
LITTLE WILL CHANGE WITH THE WEATHER PATTERN FOR THE REST OF THIS  
WEEK, AND LIKELY WELL INTO NEXT WEEK AS THE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE IS  
EXPECTED TO REMAIN CENTERED OVER THE DESERT SOUTHWEST. THE CENTER OF  
THE RIDGE IS FORECAST TO SOMEWHAT SHIFT FARTHER TO THE NORTH BY  
FRIDAY WHICH COULD HELP TO BRING BETTER RAIN CHANCES, BUT GUIDANCE  
SHOWS THE RIDGE ALSO STRENGTHENING WHICH WILL LIKELY REINFORCE THE  
SUBSIDENCE OVER MUCH OF OUR AREA. AS OF NOW, FRIDAY IS EXPECTED TO  
FOLLOW THE SAME PATTERN AS TODAY AND WEDNESDAY WITH MOSTLY EASTERN  
ARIZONA HIGH TERRAIN STORMS AND VERY CONDITIONAL 5-15% POPS INTO THE  
SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA LOWER DESERTS. AS STATED IN THE SHORT-TERM  
DISCUSSION, EVEN THOUGH IT WILL BE A DAY-TO-DAY LOW CHANCE  
ENVIRONMENT FOR THE LOWER DESERTS, IT WOULD NOT BE SURPRISING TO  
HAVE A DAY WHERE THE ELEVATED INSTABILITY IS MANAGED TO BE TAPPED  
INTO CAUSING SOME SCATTERED STORMS TO FIRE. HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS  
WILL CONTINUE TO PREVAIL WITH DAYTIME HIGHS LIKELY NUDGING UPWARD  
AGAIN LATE WEEK AS THE RIDGE RESTRENGTHENS. THE EXTREME HEAT WARNING  
CURRENTLY GOES THROUGH FRIDAY WHICH IS VERY REASONABLE, BUT IT WILL  
BE POSSIBLE TO HAVE A DAY IN THERE WHERE IT FAILS TO REACH CRITERIA  
OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA IF CONVECTION ENDS UP BEING MORE  
WIDESPREAD ONE EVENING/OVERNIGHT.  
 
FOR THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK, ENSEMBLES STILL FAVOR THE  
RIDGE BASICALLY STAYING STATIONARY WITH THE CENTER SOMEWHERE JUST TO  
OUR NORTH. SOME WEAKENING OF THE RIDGE IS LIKELY TO OCCUR BY EARLY  
NEXT WEEK AND DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH MOISTURE WILL BE AVAILABLE WE  
COULD BE LOOKING AT A FURTHER UPTICK IN MONSOON ACTIVITY. THE GEFS  
IS MORE OPTIMISTIC WITH RAIN CHANCES BY EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH  
ACTIVITY EXPANDING INTO CENTRAL AND NORTHERN ARIZONA, BUT THE EPS  
HOLDS OFF UNTIL LATER NEXT WEEK. IF CONVECTION DOES EVENTUALLY  
BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD AND IMPACTS THE LOWER DESERTS, TEMPERATURES  
ARE EXPECTED TO DIP CLOSER TO SEASONAL NORMALS.  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
UPDATED AT 0522Z.  
 
SOUTH CENTRAL ARIZONA INCLUDING KPHX, KIWA, KSDL, AND KDVT;  
NO MAJOR AVIATION CONCERNS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD.  
THE OUTFLOW MENTIONED IN PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS LOOKS TO REMAIN  
TO THE SOUTH OF THE TERMINALS THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD,  
HOWEVER A FEW ROUGE GUSTS MAY STILL MANIFEST EARLY TOMORROW  
MORNING. OTHERWISE WESTERLY TO NORTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL PERSIST  
THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT PERIODS, WITH AN EASTERLY SHIFT UNLIKELY.  
AFTERNOON GUSTS LOOK TO RE-MATERIALIZE AGAIN TOMORROW, WITH  
SPEEDS GENERALLY BETWEEN 17-22KTS. MODELS ARE POINTING TOWARDS  
ANOTHER OUTFLOW TOMORROW EVENING BETWEEN 04-06Z, WITH CURRENT  
MODELS SHOWING A 30-50% CHANCE OF SPEEDS ABOVE 30KTS. FEW-SCT HIGH  
CLOUDS WILL PERSIST THROUGH A MAJORITY OF THE TAF PERIOD,  
BECOMING BKN NEAR THE END OF THE PACKAGE.  
 
SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA/SOUTHWEST ARIZONA INCLUDING KIPL AND KBLH:  
BREEZY TO GUSTY CONDITIONS, MAINLY AT KBLH, WILL BE THE MAIN  
AVIATION CONCERN DURING THE TAF PERIOD. WINDS AT KIPL WILL PERSIST  
OUT OF THE SE, WHILE KBLH WILL BE SOUTHERLY. WINDS AT KBLH WILL  
REMAIN ELEVATED (NEAR 15KTS OR MORE) WITH GUSTS BETWEEN 25-30KTS  
TOMORROW AFTERNOON. WINDS AT KIPL WILL BE MUCH WEAKER, GENERALLY  
RANGING 7-15 KT WITH A PERIOD OF SOME GUSTS UP TO 20KTS POSSIBLE  
TOMORROW AFTERNOON. FEW TO OCCASIONALLY SCT HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS  
WILL BE PRESENT THROUGH THE MAJORITY OF THE FORECAST WINDOW.  
 
 
   
FIRE WEATHER  
 
HOT TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE ALL WEEK WITH FAIRLY ELEVATED  
HUMIDITIES, BUT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOSTLY REMAIN OVER  
FAR EASTERN AND SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA. GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS ARE LIKELY  
TO IMPACT THE SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA LOWER DESERTS AGAIN LATE THIS  
EVENING. MINRHS WILL CONTINUE TO IMPROVE, CLIMBING TO AROUND 25-30%  
BY WEDNESDAY, WHILE OVERNIGHT RECOVERIES RANGE BETWEEN 40-70%.  
OUTSIDE OF STORM OUTFLOWS, WINDS WILL MOSTLY FOLLOW DIURNAL  
PATTERNS, BUT SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL BE DOMINANT MUCH OF THE TIME  
WITH AFTERNOON GUSTS OF 15-25 MPH AT TIMES.  
 
 
   
PSR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
AZ...EXTREME HEAT WARNING UNTIL 8 PM MST FRIDAY FOR AZZ530>544-546-  
548>551-553>555-559.  
 
CA...EXTREME HEAT WARNING UNTIL 8 PM PDT FRIDAY FOR CAZ560>570.  
 
 
 
 
 
SHORT TERM...18  
LONG TERM...RYAN  
AVIATION...LOJERO/FRIEDERS  
FIRE WEATHER...KUHLMAN  
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
The Nexlab AZ Page
The Nexlab CA Page
Main Text Page