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529 FXUS65 KPSR 240950 AFDPSR AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX AZ 250 AM MST FRI MAY 24 2013 .SYNOPSIS... LOW PRESSURE CENTER OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED TO KEEP THE REGION UNDER DRY SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT...WITH BREEZY CONDITIONS AT TIMES INTO NEXT WEEK. ANTICIPATE LITTLE CHANGE IN TEMPERATURES THROUGH SATURDAY. THEREAFTER...A TROUGH ALONG THE WEST COAST IS ANTICIPATED TO DEEPEN WHICH WILL LEAD TO SOME MODEST COOLING SUNDAY AND MONDAY WITH SOME MORE NOTICEABLE COOLING TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. && .DISCUSSION... AREAWIDE WEATHER HAS BEEN ON THE QUIET SIDE THIS WEEK AND SLIGHTLY WARMER THAN EXPECTED THE PAST COUPLE DAYS. THE DEEP UPPER LOW OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST IS NOT QUITE HAVING AS MUCH OF A COOLING EFFECT OVER THE DESERT SOUTHWEST AS ANTICIPATED. HOWEVER...TEMPERATURES HAVE COOLED NOTICEABLY ACROSS OUR WESTERN ZONES AND SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE WEEKEND THERE. FARTHER AWAY FROM THE COOLER AIRMASS...SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA REMAINS ABOVE NORMAL WITH METRO PHOENIX READINGS AROUND 100 THE PAST COUPLE DAYS. NOT EXPECTING ANY NOTICEABLE CHANGE IN TEMPERATURES ACROSS SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA TODAY OR EVEN INTO SATURDAY. BY SUNDAY...THE PERSISTENT UPPER LOW OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST FINALLY WEAKENS AND BECOMES MORE OF AN OPEN TROUGH. A SHORTWAVE DOES PEEL OFF THE MAIN LOW AND DIVES SOUTHWARD INTO THE GREAT BASIN...THUS LOWERING HEIGHTS ACROSS THE DESERT SOUTHWEST. THIS IS EXPECTED TO HAVE A SLIGHT COOLING EFFECT ACROSS THE REGION...BUT THE MORE SIGNIFICANT COOLING WON/T OCCUR UNTIL THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. THROUGH MONDAY...DRY SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW MAINTAINS IT/S HOLD ACROSS THE REGION...BUT CHANGES IN THE FLOW STARTING TUESDAY. A FAIRLY STRONG SHORTWAVE TROUGH IS FORECAST TO SLIDE SOUTHEASTWARD FROM THE NORTH PACIFIC SUNDAY INTO MONDAY COMING ONSHORE IN CALIFORNIA MONDAY NIGHT. THE LARGE SCALE TROUGHING PATTERN ACROSS THE WESTERN UNITED STATES AND A 120KT UPPER JET WILL AID IN THE QUICK PROGRESSION OF THIS SHORTWAVE INTO OUR REGION BY TUESDAY. MODEL DIFFERENCES ARE STILL PROBLEMATIC WITH THE OPERATIONAL EUROPEAN LIKELY ON THE OVERLY STRONG SIDE OF THE SPECTRUM AND THE GEM ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE SPECTRUM WITH THE MAIN SHORTWAVE ENDING UP ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. THE EUROPEAN AND GFS ENSEMBLE MEANS ARE FAIRLY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER IN SPEED AND STRENGTH WITH MORE SPREAD SEEN WITHIN THE EUROPEAN ENSEMBLE MEMBERS. GIVEN THIS...HAVE TRENDED THE CURRENT FORECAST TOWARD THE GFS...GFS ENSEMBLE MEAN...AND EUROPEAN ENSEMBLE MEAN. THIS STILL RESULTS IN A MODEST COOLDOWN OF 5-10 DEGREES FOR THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK...AND ESPECIALLY TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR DECENT MID AND HIGH LEVEL MOISTURE AND RESULTING CLOUD COVER. PRECIPITATION CHANCES STILL LOOK FAIRLY LOW GIVEN OVERALL FAIRLY DRY AIRMASS. HAVE ELECTED TO MOSTLY IGNORE THE OPERATIONAL EUROPEAN QPF FORECAST FOR THE REGION GIVEN IT/S OVERLY STRONG SOLUTION...BUT HAVE AT LEAST INCLUDED SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN CLIMO POPS FOR TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. IF OTHER MODEL SOLUTIONS START TRENDING TOWARD THE STRONGER EUROPEAN...HIGHER POPS WILL BE NEEDED. && .AVIATION... SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA...INCLUDING KPHX...KIWA...KSDL...SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA/SOUTHWEST ARIZONA...INCLUDING KIPL AND KBLH... DRY SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL KEEP SKIES CLEAR TO MOSTLY CLEAR THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO FOLLOW THE USUAL DIURNAL TRENDS IN DIRECTION AND SPEED...WITH WESTERLY BREEZES DEVELOPING DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR AMENDED TAFS. && .FIRE WEATHER... SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY... LOW PRESSURE THAT IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN ALONG THE WEST COAST ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY IS FORECAST TO MOVE INLAND OVER THE DESERT SOUTHWEST ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...THEN OFF TO THE EAST INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS ON THURSDAY. DRY SOUTHWEST TO WEST FLOW AHEAD OF THIS LOW CENTER WILL KEEP SKIES MOSTLY CLEAR AND TEMPERATURES NEAR NORMAL ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY...WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES...AN INCREASE IN CLOUDINESS...AND GUSTY WINDS LIKELY ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...AS THE LOW PASSES THROUGH THE REGION. WARMER TEMPERATURES ARE THEN EXPECTED ON THURSDAY AS RIDGING BEGINS TO BUILD IN FROM THE WEST. SINGLE DIGIT MINIMUM HUMIDITIES ARE EXPECTED ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY...WITH SOMEWHAT HIGHER VALUES ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...THEN FALLING BACK INTO THE SINGLE NUMBERS AND LOW TEENS ON THURSDAY. && .PSR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AZ...NONE. CA...NONE. && $$ VISIT US ON FACEBOOK...TWITTER...AND AT WEATHER.GOV/PHOENIX DISCUSSION...KUHLMAN AVIATION...PERCHA FIRE WEATHER...PERCHA
