Chances of Rain Increasing Across the Southwest and Possibly California
Christy Bowen
3 days agoAn active North American monsoonal pattern is going to deliver a shot of moisture across the Southwest this week. Will any of this moisture creep into Southern California? Here are all of the details.
Chances of Rain Increasing in the Southwest
A daily chance of rain showers and thunderstorms will impact the southwestern corner of the country in the days ahead. Forecasters are offering hope that some of the rain may even reach the areas of Southern California that are dealing with drought conditions.
The Labor Day weekend brought rain showers and thunderstorms to portions of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The precise location of the energy circulating through the upper levels of the atmosphere will determine if the moisture makes its way to the coastal cities of Southern California.
According to the latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor, drought levels range from severe to exceptional across Southern California and into the Four Corners region. It has been a particularly dry end to the summer for this area. For instance, Phoenix has notched its 19th driest summer on record, thus far. A weak monsoon season is largely to blame for the building drought.
The good news is that the stubborn upper-level ridge that has been parked over the Southwest will begin to move out of the region later this week, paving the way for monsoonal moisture to fire up across much of Arizona. Phoenix is forecast to see the highest odds of rain late Thursday and Friday.
In addition to the movement of the upper-level ridge away from Arizona, a mass of tropical moisture from a budding storm in the East Pacific could also raise the precipitation totals for Phoenix and beyond. While the forecast of rain is welcome, too much moisture too quickly across the arid landscape will increase the threat of flash flooding.
The chance of flooding will jump on Thursday and linger into the weekend. The forecast is calling for the heavy rain to dissipate by early next week. Residents in the potential impact zone will want to monitor this situation and take the appropriate precautions.
Moving to the north, the Pacific Northwest will dodge the significant rain bands this week. Instead, portions of Washington and Oregon saw record-breaking heat. For example, Portland was forecast to see the temperatures soar to about 90 degrees on Tuesday. The temperatures gradually started to come down heading into the next weekend.