Cold, wet weather heading to Phoenix area in coming days

PHOENIX – The weather in metro Phoenix is going to take a chilly, wet turn over the next few days, forecasters said Friday.

The National Weather Service’s Phoenix bureau said two storm systems were on their way to the Valley, and the second will pack the bigger punch with up to 80% chances of rain Monday and a high of 55 degrees.

The first system coming off the Pacific Ocean will drop daytime temperatures to the lows 60 and upper 50s starting Saturday; the likelihood of rain then is anywhere from 60% to 70%.

More showers are expected Tuesday, when temperatures might top out at 54 degrees.

“When all is said and done by Wednesday, I think a lot of areas will be looking at maybe around an inch of total rainfall,” weather service meteorologist Andrew Deemer told KTAR News 92.3 FM.

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen this kind of rain,” he added. “A nice change of pace for most folks.”

Near normal highs in the upper 60s today will fall sharply this weekend into early next week as cold winter storms move through. Look for highs in the low to mid 50s by next Tuesday in Phoenix, roughly 15 deg. below normal! #azwx pic.twitter.com/G2Sr08cuGj

— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) January 22, 2021

The Valley collected its first measurable rain of the year Tuesday. Morning sprinkles measured .01 inches on the official gauge at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

“In the desert, when we only get 7-8 inches of rain, anytime we can get an inch into that bucket, we’ll definitely take it,” Deemer said.

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

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