Rain showers in Phoenix expected Thursday, may last through Friday

PHOENIX — Haven’t turned on the heat yet? You might give in by the end of the week.

Widespread showers are expected to pass through Arizona, dropping temperatures along the way, according to the National Weather Service.

The rain is expected to start Thursday afternoon, with the best chance for precipitation in the Valley, at 70 percent, coming later in the day.

“It looks like the showers will to start to fill in a little bit better on Thursday night,” James Sawtell, National Weather Service meteorologist, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Wednesday.

Rain is still looking like a good bet on Thursday area-wide, with forecast totals around 0.25"-0.50" for both Yuma and Phoenix. Scattered showers will continue into Friday, before drying out by the weekend. #azwx #CAwx pic.twitter.com/CcOM8737Lz

— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) December 5, 2018

The rain is part of a storm system that has been traveling through southern California and is expected the last through Friday afternoon.

The weather service said Phoenix may receive up to a half-inch of rain, and Tucson may get up to an inch.

Both Thursday and Friday aren’t expected to pass 70 degrees in the Phoenix area, with low temperatures falling to the mid-40s.

The weekend should be dry, with temperatures climbing back up a few degrees.

A system moving through the region over the next several days will bring wet and cooler conditions. Widespread showers are expected in the Phoenix metro Thursday into Friday. #azwx pic.twitter.com/xmsOPf7SjX

— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) December 4, 2018

Arizona’s water year, which begins on Oct. 1, is “off to a great start” thanks to recent rainfall, Sawtell said.

“We’re at 5.7 inches for our water year, and the normal value for the water year for this state would be only 1.34 inches,” he said.

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

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