Will impact of massive winter storm be felt in Phoenix area?

PHOENIX – The Valley could see light rain from a massive winter storm system that’s expected to wreak havoc across a large swath of the U.S. in the coming days.

“Overall, it’s not going to produce heavy rain here. Mostly light showers,” meteorologist Chris Kuhlman of the National Weather Service (NWS) in Phoenix told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Thursday morning.

A weather system will pass through the region Fri. & Sat. bringing rain chances to the eastern 2/3rd of AZ. Much of the rain should be light with the peak timing occurring Fri. night-Sat. afternoon. The highest rainfall amounts should fall over east central & southeast AZ. #azwx pic.twitter.com/C7D2G12oDF

— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) January 22, 2026

There’s a 30% chance that rain could start falling in the Valley on Friday afternoon, with the likelihood of showers increasing later.

“The best chances are going to be … after midnight Friday night through Saturday afternoon, where chances will be around 50%,” Kuhlman said.

Valley rainfall totals are expected to average around 0.10 inches.

“A few spots could see a quarter of an inch, but all in all, just some light rain,” Kuhlman said.

Winter storm will drop temperatures in Valley

The Phoenix-area forecast also calls for a chilly weekend after highs at or above 70 degrees Thursday and Friday.

“Once the … cool front moves through Friday night and Saturday, (it will be) more like mid-60s for highs for Saturday and Sunday.”

High temperatures are normally in the upper 60s in metro Phoenix this time of year.

A warming trend is expected to begin early next week.

“We’ll probably get back to where we are right now by around next Wednesday or Thursday. We’ll again see lower 70s, maybe mid-70s late next week,” Kuhlman said.

Meanwhile, Northern Arizona could get snow from the winter storm, but only at higher elevations.

“You’re going to have to go probably above 7,000 feet to see any snow,” Kuhlman said.

Other parts of country bracing for massive winter storm

Many other parts of the country are facing the prospect of widespread disruptive weather in the coming days.

The storm is expected to begin Friday in New Mexico and Texas, with the worst of the weather moving east into the Deep South before heading up the coast and covering New England with snow.

An estimated 100 million people were under some type of winter weather watch, warning or advisory ahead of the winter storm.

With multiple major hub airports in the system’s path, air travel could be affected across the country.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Ginia McFarland and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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