Rain chances return to Phoenix, with a better shot early next week

Keep an umbrella handy! Phoenix could see showers and a few thunderstorms Friday, with another chance for rain early next week.

A series of weather systems will move across Arizona over the coming days, according to Gabriel Lojero, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix. But unlike the storms that caused flooding in the Valley a couple of weeks ago, these systems aren’t expected to bring significant rainfall.

“We’re going to have basically a series of weather disturbances that are going to be moving across the area into early next week,” Lojero told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Thursday.

When could Phoenix see rain?

The first system is set to arrive Friday afternoon into the early evening. Most of the showers are expected to stay in southeastern Arizona, but some could reach the Valley.

“Maybe some showers and maybe a few isolated thunderstorms [could move] into the Phoenix area during the late afternoon and early evening,” Lojero said. “Then, on Saturday, rain chances will be low where most of the activity will be concentrated mostly across the high country with maybe some showers mainly north and east of Phoenix.”

The better opportunity for rain could come next week, when another system is expected to move through. Still, Lojero said it doesn’t currently look likely to produce substantial rainfall across much of the region.

“Not expecting any flooding impacts at this point,” he said.

How are these storms different from the last round?

The storms that brought flooding a couple of weeks ago were fueled by a strong atmospheric river, Lojero said. Those systems can produce widespread, significant rain over an extended period.

The upcoming systems are different. Rather than delivering prolonged downpours, they’re expected to bring brief windows of rain.

“These systems that we’re going to see through early next week are not atmospheric rivers,” Lojero said.

For Phoenix, that means a few opportunities for showers — but little to no flooding impact is expected based on the current forecast.

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