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HOME > Back to products page | Weather Glossary

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION

 
 FXUS65 KPSR 160440
AFDPSR

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ
940 PM MST WED OCT 15 2008

SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA
FORECAST DISCUSSION

.SYNOPSIS...
HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL BUILD OVER THE REGION THE NEXT COUPLE OF
DAYS RESULTING IN ADDED WARMING THROUGH FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES BY THE
WEEKEND WILL BE WELL ABOVE NORMAL...PERHAPS APPROACHING THE CENTURY
MARK AT THE WARMEST DESERT SPOTS. A WEAK DISTURBANCE EXPECTED TO
PASS ACROSS THE REGION EARLY NEXT WEEK WILL BRING SOME MINOR COOLING
ALONG WITH AN INCREASE IN CLOUDS. THERE WILL ALSO BE A SLIGHT CHANCE
OF SHOWERS SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY OVER THE SOUTH-CENTRAL HIGHER
TERRAIN.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
DOWNSLOPE/DRAINAGE FLOW HAS BECOME REESTABLISHED ACROSS THE FORECAST
AREA THIS EVENING. BREEZY CONDITIONS EXPECTED AGAIN OVERNIGHT ACROSS
THE HIGHER TERRAIN EAST OF PHOENIX AND IN THE TONTO NATIONAL FOREST
FOOTHILLS. CURRENT FORECAST REFLECTS THIS AND ONLY MINOR TWEAKS WERE
MADE TO THE SHORT-TERM DATABASE...MAINLY FOR DEWPOINTS.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
LIKELY TO GET LCLLY BREEZY AGAIN NEXT COUPLE OF LATE NIGHTS/MORNINGS
OVER SCNTRL AZ AS GRADS TIGHTEN A BIT EACH NIGHT. MODEL RH PROGS
SHOW NOT MUCH CHANCE OF ANY CLOUD COVER NEXT DAY OR TWO. SO FULL
SUNSHINE...ALONG WITH BUILDING HEIGHTS ALOFT...WILL SERVE TO GIVE
FURTHER DAYTIME WARMING THRU FRIDAY...WITH PEAK TEMPS LIKELY FRIDAY
OR SATURDAY.

MEANWHILE...CUTOFF LOW OFF THE CENTRAL BAJA COAST IS PROGGED TO OPEN
UP AND EVENTUALLY LIFT NEWD TOWARDS THE DESERT SW OVER THE WEEKEND
...GIVING SOME INCREASE IN CLOUDS ACROSS THE AREA BY SATURDAY AND
SUNDAY. DOUBT IF THEY WILL BE SUFFICIENT TO LOWER TEMPS MUCH. BY
LATE SUNDAY AND MONDAY ANOTHER SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL LIFT TOWARDS
THE REGION FROM THE PACIFIC AND WILL INJECT A BIT MORE MOISTURE INTO
THE AREA. MODEL FORECAST SOUNDINGS HINT THAT WE MAY HAVE SUFFICIENT
MOISTURE BY SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY TO WARRANT A SLIGHT CHANCE OF
SHOWERS OVER ZONE 24. MID SHIFT INTRODUCED THIS POSSIBILITY...AND
THIS STILL APPEARS REASONABLE. AS THE SHORTWAVE PUSHES ACROSS THE
REGION...WILL PROBABLY SEE A SLIGHT LOWERING OF OUR MAX TEMPS EARLY
NEXT WEEK.

&&

.AVIATION...
NO AVIATION CONCERNS ANTICIPATED THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING. PRESSURE
GRADIENT WILL AGAIN TIGHTEN OVERNIGHT...RESULTING IN AN EASTERLY
FLOW AROUND 20 KT AT 1500 FT AGL IN THE PHOENIX METRO AREA.
HOWEVER...AT THE SURFACE WINDS WILL BE CONSIDERABLY
LIGHTER...GENERALLY LESS THAN 5 KT. THE DOWNSLOPE FLOW WILL SUBSIDE
DURING THE MID-MORNING THU...THOUGH A FEW GUSTS TO AROUND 15 KT WILL
BE POSSIBLE DURING THE LATE-MORNING AS THE ATMOSPHERE MIXES OUT. A
SWITCH OVER TO UPSLOPE WESTERLY IS NOT EXPECTED THU AFTERNOON.

NEAR THE CO RIVER VALLEY (KYUM/KIPL/KBLH)...DRAINAGE FLOW OVERNIGHT
WILL GENERALLY REMAIN LIGHT THROUGH THE PERIOD.

AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDED TAFS.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...
HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL CONTINUE BUILDING NORTH OVER OUR AREA WITH
SUNNY AND WARMER WEATHER FRIDAY. A FLOW ALOFT FROM THE SOUTH AND
SOUTHWEST WILL BRING SOME CLOUDINESS MAINLY OVER SOUTHEAST
CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHWEST ARIZONA SATURDAY...AND MAINLY OVER
SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA SUNDAY. HOWEVER...IT WILL BE
ANOTHER WARM DAY SATURDAY AND TEMPERATURES ARE ONLY EXPECTED TO DROP
BACK SLIGHTLY SUNDAY.

THE ATMOSPHERE IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE QUITE AS DRY...BUT IT WILL
STILL BE RELATIVELY DRY WITH LOW AFTERNOON RH VALUES AND MINIMAL
OVERNIGHT RECOVERY. SOMEWHAT MORE RECOVERY IN RH IS EXPECTED BY
EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN GENERALLY LIGHT.

&&

.PSR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...

AZ...NONE.

CA...NONE.

&&




NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX IS ON THE INTERNET AT

WEATHER.GOV/PHOENIX

DISCUSSION...HIRSCH/ESTLE
AVIATION...HIRSCH
FIRE WEATHER...ELLIS




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