Wind, drop in temperature to mix it up in metro Phoenix this week

PHOENIX – Hang on to your hats: It’s going to be very windy in metro Phoenix on Tuesday, weather forecasters said.

And zip up a hoodie, too. The National Weather Service in Phoenix said wind gusts of up to 30 mph were likely to sweep across the Valley, followed by a temperature drop from 78 degrees Tuesday to 63 degrees Wednesday.

“It looks like they’re going to last through the day and into the evening hours, then much less wind [Wednesday],” Phoenix weather bureau meteorologist Marvin Percha told KTAR News 92.3 FM.

Wind advisories and a high wind warning are in effect today across the region. West to southwest wind gusts of 45 mph will create difficult driving conditions and ~30-40% chance of blowing dust and lofted dust, including I-10 and I-8. Drive safely! #AZWX #CAWX pic.twitter.com/tOzi3L8AW3

— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) February 15, 2022

Other parts of the state would be hit harder, in the 40 mph range. Wind advisories were in place in regions spreading from Yuma, Casa Grande, up to Sedona and east past Globe. Tucson could face 45 mph blasts.

All that wind is expected to kick up a lot of dust along Interstate 10 in the Valley and in neighboring Pinal County.

“The usual dust-channel areas,” Percha said.

There’s also a possibility of rain in the Valley’s forecast – a 30% chance Tuesday night that drops to 20% by late Wednesday morning.

Higher elevations outside of the Phoenix area have a 40%-50% chance of rain during that time frame, Percha said.

Other than the clouds that arrive with the rain chances, it will be sunny in the Valley most of the week, the weather service predicted, with highs jumping back to the upper 70s for the weekend after the midweek nosedive.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Morae Jordane contributed to this report.

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