Sunday, July 28, 2019

Heat to break in California with the Southwest Monsoon returning midweek

By Courtney Spamer, AccuWeather meteorologist




A pattern change across much of the West will bring in both cooler air and a brief dry spell; however, more moisture, typical of the monsoon will return to the Southwest.
On Sunday, temperatures will soar to near-record levels across California's interior. In addition to triple-digit temperatures, the AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will be several degrees higher than the actual thermometer readings.
However, the record-challenging heat will subside early this week.
An area of high pressure shifting eastward will gradually drop temperatures across interior California and then the remainder of the Southwest.
"The first to feel these changes will be California, when temperatures will start trending down on Monday," said AccuWeather Long-Range Meteorologist Max Vido.
West Heat 3

The temperature difference will be noticeable in cities like Fresno, California, Flagstaff, Arizona, and Las Vegas. From their peak on Sunday and Monday afternoon, high temperatures will drop 10-15 degrees F by Wednesday afternoon.
Overall, temperatures across the state of California will be within a few degrees of normal by the middle of the week. Fresno, California will reach the upper 90s in the afternoon, while Palm Springs returns to the lower 100s.
An onshore flow off of the Pacific Ocean will continue to keep it cool along the beach of California.
"As the high continues eastward, the core of the heat will position itself over the Rockies by the middle of the week," Vido added.
Temperatures will trend a few degrees higher Tuesday and Wednesday for places like Santa Fe, New Mexico, Casper, Wyoming, and Denver.
The temperature swings in these locations are not expected to be quite as drastic as that across California, Nevada and Arizona.
Part of the reason for this will be the location of the high over northwestern Texas. The clockwise flow around the high will help to steer moisture from Mexico back into the Southwest. The increased moisture will lead to more clouds which will block the summer sunshine, and even more thunderstorm activity, both of which will put a cap on the heat.
After a break from widespread thunderstorms early in the week, a surge of monsoonal moisture will once again bring the threat for flooding downpours.
As is typically the case during the monsoon, thunderstorms will tend to blossom over the highest terrain during the afternoon hours and drift toward the lower elevations into the evening and overnight.
West storms 3

In these thunderstorms, heavy downpours are possible with as much as half an inch of rain in just a few hours, leading to mudslides and flooded roadways. Motorists should take care not to drive through a flooded roadway; it only takes 12 inches of water to sweep most vehicles away and the water can disguise a washed out roadway.
Even if a particular area is missed by one of these monsoonal thunderstorms, there is still a danger to the storms being nearby.
Lightning can strike areas well away from where it is raining, posing a threat to those not directly being impacted from a thunderstorm's rain. This expands the danger zone even farther from the storm, posing a risk for anyone who does not take shelter inside if they hear a rumble of thunder. If you are close enough to a thunderstorm to hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning.
Additionally, lightning strikes such as these, known as dry thunderstorms, can also potentially spark a wildfire.
Download the free AccuWeather app to know when thunderstorms will threaten your area. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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