Phoenix could see more thunderstorms along with excessive heat, forecasters say

PHOENIX — A hot Monday is on the horizon, but the possibility of a nighttime thunderstorm is adding some spice to the Phoenix area’s forecast.

The chance of storms comes amid after heavy winds and strong rains rolled through metro Phoenix on Sunday evening.

There is also an excessive heat warning, which is in effect until 8 p.m. in the Valley.

The weekend was so hot that Phoenix set a new daily heat record for Aug. 3, reaching 116 degrees and beating the previous high of 114 degrees.

However, there is a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms in metro Phoenix before 8 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Another very hot day is expected with highs across the lower deserts expected to range between 110-115 degrees. Thunderstorm activity later today will be confined mainly across the higher terrain areas, with only isolated chances across the lower deserts. #azwx #cawx pic.twitter.com/xJE0yOnwvQ

— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) August 5, 2024

Furthermore, the storm chances for the Valley look even better on Tuesday, according to NWS meteorologist Gabriel Lojero.

“Tomorrow, it looks like we’re going to see a good increase in monsoon thunderstorm activity across the region,” Lojero told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday morning. “Most likely, for the Phoenix area, the most highly impactful time period is going to be probably after sunset.”

What to expect from projected thunderstorms near Phoenix

The expected increase in monsoon thunderstorm activity comes from a midlevel weather disturbance that will move across the region, Lojero said.

“We’ll likely see a complex of storms develop across the higher terrain areas, specially across southeast Arizona,” he said. “That’s probably going to send an a couple potential outflow boundaries into the region that may help generate new thunderstorm activity near the Phoenix area. So we may see light frequent lightning activity, strong gusts of winds.”

There’s also a chance that blowing dust will cause issues throughout the Valley on Tuesday, Lojero added.

“We cannot rule out a dust storm hitting the Phoenix area as well tomorrow evening,” he said.

There is also a slight chance of thunderstorms on Wednesday and Thursday nights, according to the NWS forecast.

Phoenix could cool down later this week

Monday’s high in Phoenix is expected to be around 114 degrees, while Tuesday’s high is expected to be in the range of 109 degrees.

NWS expects cooler temperatures to hit the Valley around Wednesday and Thursday, Lojero said.

“We’re actually going to see temperatures go back down on below 110 degrees for highs,” he said. “We’re gonna see a slight relief from the excessively hot temperatures.”

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Jim Cross contributed to this report.