682  
FXUS65 KTWC 131654  
AFDTWC  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ  
954 AM MST SAT SEP 13 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS WILL  
AGAIN BE POSSIBLE TODAY SOUTH AND EAST OF TUCSON. AN ISOLATED  
RISK OF STRONG WINDS, LARGE HAIL, HEAVY RAIN, AND BLOWING DUST  
WILL ACCOMPANY THESE THUNDERSTORMS. DRY AIR MOVES IN SUNDAY  
LEADING TO NO THUNDERSTORMS. TEMPERATURES TRANSITION FROM BELOW  
NORMAL THIS WEEKEND TO ABOVE NORMAL NEXT WEEK WITH A MODEST RETURN  
OF THUNDERSTORM CHANCES TUESDAY AND THE END OF THE WORK WEEK.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
AT THE TIME OF THIS WRITING A FEW THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE  
TO BE OBSERVED ON RADAR ACROSS EASTERN GRAHAM, GREENLEE, AND COCHISE  
COUNTIES WITH THINNING LOW TO MID-LEVEL CLOUD COVER STRETCHING BACK  
ACROSS THE TUCSON METRO. LATEST GOES SATELLITE IMAGERY DEPICTED AN  
ESTIMATED 0.8-1.1 INCHES OF PRECIPITABLE WATER WITH THE HIGHER  
AMOUNTS FOCUSED EAST OF TUCSON. DEW POINTS WERE IN THE MID 60S FROM  
TUCSON AND NOGALES EASTWARD.  
 
NOT MUCH CHANGE IN THE FORECAST THINKING FOR TODAY WITH ISOLATED TO  
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED MAINLY TO THE EAST AND SOUTH OF  
TUCSON SUPPORTED BY BROAD SYNOPTIC SCALE LIFT FROM A TROUGH AXIS  
MOVING OVER ARIZONA. PRECIPITABLE WATER CONTENT OF 1.0 TO 1.3 INCHES  
COMBINED WITH 35-55 KNOTS OF EFFECTIVE BULK SHEAR AND A 40 KNOT 500  
MB FLOW FAVORS MORE SUSTAINED BUT QUICK MOVING STORMS TODAY MOVING  
FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST. THE MAIN FORECAST CONCERN WITH THESE  
STORMS WILL BE GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS RESULTING IN BLOWING DUST.  
HOWEVER, SIMILAR TO YESTERDAY, WE COULD SEE ISOLATED INSTANCES OF  
LARGE HAIL AND HEAVY RAINFALL WITH ANY STRONGER AND MORE SUSTAINED  
THUNDERSTORM UPDRAFT. THUS, THE SECONDARY THREAT BECOMES LARGE HAIL  
AND LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING, ESPECIALLY WHERE STORMS TRACK OVER THE  
SAME WATERSHED IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.  
 
TOMORROW INTO NEXT WEEK TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN TO REBOUND WITH THE  
TROUGH PASSAGE WITH HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 80S TO THE SOUTH AND  
EAST OF TUCSON AND IN THE MID TO UPPER 90S FROM TUCSON WEST.  
PRECIPITATION CHANCES WILL BE MINIMAL (10-20%) MAINLY CONFINED TO  
THE HUACHUCA AND CHIRICAHUA MOUNTAINS AND ALONG THE INTERNATIONAL  
BORDER BEFORE SIGNS OF MODEST PUSH OF MOISTURE BY THE LATTER HALF OF  
THE WEEK.  
 

 
   
PREV DISCUSSION
 
/ISSUED 216 AM MST SAT SEP 13 2025/  
 
CURRENT RADAR SHOWS ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EAST OF  
TUCSON. THIS OVERNIGHT ACTIVITY IS THE RESULT OF A TROUGH MOVING  
INTO NORTHERN ARIZONA PROVIDING ENOUGH SYNOPTIC SCALE LIFT FOR  
SOME WEAK CONVECTION. THIS ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE  
EARLY MORNING. EXPECT ANOTHER ROUND OF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS  
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE SAME ENVIRONMENTAL INGREDIENTS AS  
YESTERDAY ARE IN PLACE WITH PLENTY OF MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY AS  
WELL AS 0-6KM WIND SHEAR OF 20-35 KTS. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS DRY  
AIR WILL INTRUDE A LITTLE FURTHER EAST THAN YESTERDAY WHICH WILL  
KEEP MOST THUNDERSTORMS ACTIVITY EAST OF TUCSON. BEST CHANCES WILL  
BE IN COCHISE COUNTY AND SOUTHERN GRAHAM/GREENLEE COUNTIES.  
EASTERN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY COULD SEE SOME ACTIVITY AS WELL. STORMS  
WILL AGAIN BE CAPABLE OF ROTATION, WHICH WILL LEAD TO LONGER LIVED  
UPDRAFTS WITH THE MAIN HAZARDS BEING HAIL AND STRONG TO SEVERE  
WIND GUSTS. HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE BUT FAST MOVING  
STORMS WILL LESSEN THE FLASH FLOOD THREAT.  
 
SUNDAY THE TROUGH WILL BE EAST OF ARIZONA AND WILL TAKE THE  
MOISTURE WITH IT LEADING TO DRY CONDITIONS. TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO  
BEGIN TO REBOUND. HIGHS TODAY WILL BE A FEW DEGREES BELOW NORMAL,  
WARM TO AROUND NORMAL SUNDAY, THEN ABOVE NORMAL MONDAY INTO THE  
MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER NORTHERN MEXICO  
NEXT WEEK WHICH ALLOWS MOISTURE TO SLOWLY MOVE IN FROM THE SOUTH.  
MONDAY WILL SEE LOW POPS (GENERALLY 15 PERCENT) ALONG THE  
INTERNATIONAL BORDER INCREASING TUESDAY SOUTH AND EAST OF TUCSON  
TO 20-40 PERCENT. LATER IN THE WEEK MODELS ARE HINTING AT A BETTER  
PUSH OF MOISTURE ESPECIALLY WEST OF TUCSON.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
VALID THROUGH 14/12Z.  
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THROUGH THE MORNING MAINLY OVER  
COCHISE AND GRAHAM COUNTIES. BY LATE MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON  
SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE EAST OF TUCSON  
WITH KSAD AND KDUG SEEING THE BEST CHANCES TO BE IMPACTED BY A  
THUNDERSTORM. THE INGREDIENTS WILL BE IN PLACE FOR WIND GUSTS TO  
50 KTS AND LARGE HAIL. HEAVY RAINFALL AND MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS  
WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. STORMS WILL BEGIN TO DISSIPATE AFTER 14/03Z  
AS DRY AIR BEGINS TO MOVE IN. OTHERWISE, SFC WIND SLY/SWLY AT  
8-12 KTS WITH GUSTS TO 20 KTS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SFC WIND  
LESS THAN 10 KTS AND VARIABLE IN DIRECTION AT OTHER TIMES.  
AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR TAF AMENDMENTS.  
 

 
   
FIRE WEATHER
 
MINIMUM RH VALUES WILL BE IN THE 20-35 PERCENT  
RANGE TODAY, LOWERING INTO THE 15-30 PERCENT RANGE SUNDAY AND  
MONDAY, THEN BACK INTO THE 20-35 PERCENT RANGE. SCATTERED SHOWERS  
AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED MAINLY FOR COCHISE COUNTY AND EAST  
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY TODAY. THUNDERSTORMS TODAY WILL HAVE A RISK OF  
VERY STRONG GUSTY WINDS, HAIL, AND HEAVY RAINFALL. DRY AREA-WIDE  
SUNDAY, THEN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH AND EAST OF  
TUCSON RETURN AGAIN NEXT WEEK. OUTSIDE OF THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOWS,  
EXPECT 20-FOOT WINDS TO BE 15 MPH OR LESS, WITH SOME  
AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH.  
 

 
   
TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
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