THEMARICOPAMOD.COM / WEATHER & ENVIRONMENT

Maricopa County Weather: Heat wave to hit this weekend and temps start to rise

Moving ahead to this upcoming weekend the focus will shift towards the next heat wave.

PUBLISHED AUG 1, 2024

For tomorrow plan on another round of early morning debris clouds before sunnier afternoon skies.

Phoenix, Arizona: Yesterday’s disturbance kept most of the storm activity across southern AZ, meaning only the far southern zones saw any meaningful rain. Otherwise, most areas picked up some sprinkles overnight into this morning.

Heading into today, it will quickly push northwest away from the region, meanwhile the monsoon ridge will continue to strengthen and center around the Four Corners area.

Moving ahead to this upcoming weekend the focus will shift towards the next heat wave with daily temperatures expected to climb back into excessive territory (110°F-116°F range). A low grade monsoon pattern will also persist during this period keeping isolated storm chances alive through the end of the week.

For today plan on lingering debris clouds through mid-day before sunnier afternoon conditions. Daytime temperatures will generally remain limited to the 105°F-108°F range around the Valley to go along with muggy conditions. Variable winds will generally remain in the 5-15mph range with localized greater gusts this evening. As covered above, storm chances will remain focused across the higher terrain areas north and east of the Valley with limited, if any, activity around the lower deserts tonight. Guidance does continue to show light showers/sprinkles through the overnight hours.

For tomorrow plan on another round of early morning debris clouds before sunnier afternoon skies. High temperatures will see a boost into the 109°F-112°F range around the Valley. Variable winds will generally remain in the 5-15mph range with localized greater evening gusts. Afternoon/evening storm chances will again remain focused across the higher terrain areas with the lower deserts needing the help from colliding outflows for any secondary storm development in and around the Valley.

An excessive heat wave is all but certain for the upcoming weekend, so plan accordingly. Daytime highs are forecast to reach the 113°F-116°F range both days. We’ll have more on this in the next Outlook tomorrow.