No Rain, High Risk: Southwest Storms Could Ignite New Wildfires

Temperatures well into the triple digits are spreading across the Desert Southwest to end the week. A byproduct of this heat will be the threat of afternoon and evening thunderstorms. While the moisture is needed across the parched terrain of this corner of the country, forecasters are warning that most of the storms may cause more trouble than they are worth.

Start of North American Monsoon Season Raising Chances of Storms in the Southwest

A heat wave expanding into the interior West by the end of the week will also bring along the chance of thunderstorms to the Southwest and beyond. Although the heat dome is currently anchored over the southwestern U.S., it is expected to push to the east in the days ahead. The movement of this area of high pressure will bring up more moisture, depositing it across portions of the western U.S. beginning this weekend and lasting into next week.

The storm action will progress from south to north over the interior portions of the West in the early stages, becoming more widespread by next week. The rainy and stormy weather is a natural result of the start of the North American monsoon season. This annual parade of storms from the south happens this time of the year when winds switch from the west to the south, pulling up moisture from Mexico and the Pacific.