Priscilla Raises Flash Flooding Risk in Southwest

The Desert Southwest will be under the threat of flash flooding by the end of the week as the moisture associated with Hurricane Priscilla in the Eastern Pacific tracks into this corner of the country. Here is a more detailed look at how much rain to expect and what parts of the region will be hit the hardest by this surge of tropical moisture.

Latest Update on Hurricane Priscilla

Forecasters are warning that more than a month's worth of rain could fall over the period of a few days in the Southwest as Priscilla's remains creep to the northeast. As of the late Tuesday update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Hurricane Priscilla was a Category 2 storm with winds of 110 mph. Priscilla is moving to the west-northwest at 9 mph off the coast of Mexico. While Mexico is not expected to take a direct hit from Priscilla, the storm's outer bands will brush past the coastline of Baja California Sur in the coming days.

Priscilla's core will remain out in the waters of the Eastern Pacific. However, the immediate coastline of Mexico will likely see locally heavy rain and gusty winds at times. The latest forecast models signal that Priscilla will begin to lose some of its wind intensity beginning on Wednesday or Thursday.

A southward dip in the jet stream across the West Coast of the U.S. will bring up some of Priscilla's tropical moisture to the northeast. This movement in the jet stream will result in widespread rain showers and thunderstorms for the Four Corners region by the end of the work week.