Despite weekend whiff, forecasters say Valley will see ‘fairly wet’ weather this week

PHOENIX – After a weekend storm system “underperformed” in the Phoenix area, there should be plenty of chances for more rain this week.

“The rain that was supposed to fall over the weekend, you know, it fell in a couple of places, but it kind of underperformed,” Chris Kuhlman of the National Weather Service (NWS) in Phoenix told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday morning. “But, we have another weather system coming in.”

Kuhlman said the next system could start producing light showers by Monday evening, but more persistent activity is probably at least a day away.

“Once that system comes in for Tuesday, we’re looking at off-and-on showers, maybe a little bit of moderate rainfall at times,” he said. “It’s not going to be heavy rainfall, but we’re looking at … a wet Tuesday and then probably even a fairly wet Wednesday, where we’ll just have off-and-on showers.”

Kuhlman said to expect rainfall totals mainly ranging from half an inch to an inch through Wednesday, with the heaviest activity most likely in northern Maricopa County near Wickenburg and the foothills northeast of Phoenix.

“We’re expecting like 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches in those areas,” he said.

Looking ahead, the latest forecast for Phoenix includes a 20-30% chance for showers for Thursday through Saturday.

How much did it rain in Phoenix over the weekend?

Forecasters were expecting half an inch to an inch of rain over the weekend, prompting many residents and visitors to adjust their plans. But totals came in at under 0.1 inches for most of the Valley.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, which the NWS uses for the city’s official readings, only saw trace amounts over the weekend. Phoenix hasn’t received measurable precipitation since nearly a quarter of an inch came down on Oct. 13, capping a disruptive five-day rain event.

Valley highs are expected to be in the 60s as the week progresses

Rain or not, metro Phoenix temperatures have been falling, as projected.

“Highs today and Tuesday will be upper 60s, around 70 degrees,” Kulhman said. “The coolest days are probably going to be Wednesday and Thursday, where highs will be around 65.”

Phoenix hasn’t seen a daily high in the 60s since April 2. The mid-60s would be about 10 degrees below normal for the third week of November.

Meanwhile, overnight lows are expected to be near 60 degrees for the first part of the week, but mornings are expected to turn quite chilly as the week progresses.

“By like, let’s say, Wednesday, Thursday morning, we might see lows in the 40s, and … that should be pretty much continuing into the weekend,” Kuhlman said.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Kellen Shover contributed to this report.

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