Dust Storm Warning 5, NWS Tucson, AZ

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TUCSON AZ
940 AM MST MON JUL 23 2007

.SYNOPSIS...ABUNDANT MOISTURE IN COMBINATION WITH DAYTIME HEATING
AND A FAVORABLE FLOW WILL PROVIDE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY
DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS THIS WEEK. EXPECT NEAR NORMAL
TO BELOW NORMAL DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURES THIS WEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION...UPPER HIGH CENTER HAS SHIFTED NORTHEAST OVER THE NRN
PLAINS...WITH ELONGATED RIDGING EXTENDING SOUTHWEST FROM THIS CENTER
TO NEW MEXICO. UPPER TROUGH IS ALONG THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. SOUTHERN
STREAM LOW HAS BEEN PULLED NORTHEAST INTO SRN CALIFORNIA OUT IN
FRONT OF PACIFIC NORTHWEST TROUGH. INVERTED TROUGH IS SWINGING
AROUND EAST SIDE OF HIGH OVER ERN COLORADO AND OKLAHOMA. UPPER HIGH
WILL REPOSITION OVER THE FOUR CORNERS THROUGH WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUE
SLIDING SOUTHWEST TO SRN CALIFORNIA ON THURSDAY. INVERTED TROUGH
WILL STRETCH FROM TEXAS TO SRN NEW MEXICO ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON.

VERY HIGH MOISTURE...LOW FLOW ENVIRONMENT REMAINS IN PLACE OVER
SOUTHEAST ARIZONA. AFTER SEVERAL DAYS OF BOUNDARY LAYER COOLING...WE
HAVE FINALLY REVERSED COURSE AND NOW SEE 2-3 DEGREES OF WARMING IN
THE 650 MB-SURFACE LAYER. YESTERDAYS CONVECTION WAS HAMPERED BY
MID-LEVEL WARMING...WITH 500 MB TEMPS AROUND MINUS 4. TODAYS 12Z TUS
SOUNDING SHOWS 1-2 DEGREES OF COOLING IN THE 550-450 MB LAYER...WITH
A 500 MB TEMP AROUND MINUS 6. DEEP MOISTURE PROFILE IS SHOWN WITH A
PW VALUE OF 1.86 AND AN OVERALL COLUMN PROFILE THAT IS MOISTER THAN
YESTERDAY AND SATURDAY. EXTREMELY LOW FLOW SHOWN ON SOUNDING...IN
FACT YOU HAVE TO GO ALL THE WAY UP TO 45000FT TO FIND WINDS GREATER
THAN 10 KTS. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY INDICATES MID-LEVEL DRY LINE FROM
LAKE HAVASU SOUTHEAST INTO ERN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY...DRYER AIR WILL
CONTINUE TO FILTER INTO THE EXTREME WEST BELOW SRN CALIFORNIA LOW.
DRY MID LEVEL AIR IS ALSO PUSHING INTO WESTERN NEW MEXICO. WEAK
DEFORMATION AXIS IS OVER ERN ARIZONA ROUGHLY FROM SHOW LOW TO
SAFFORD. IMPULSE CURRENTLY OVER SOUTHEAST SONORA PROGGED TO MOVE
WEST INTO THE CENTRAL GULF OF CALIFORNIA THIS AFTERNOON. NAM
INDICATES AN INCREASE IN FLOW DURING THE AFTERNOON...WITH EASTERLY
FLOW FROM 10-15 KTS DEPICTED AS GRADIENT TIGHTENS NORTH OF IMPULSE.
GFS IS LIGHTER WITH EASTERLY FLOW GENERALLY LESS THAN 10 KTS...BUT
BOTH MODELS SHOW AN INCREASE OVER THE 12Z SOUNDING.

PLENTY OF DEBRIS CLOUDINESS REMAINS IN PLACE JUST LIKE THE PAST
SEVERAL DAYS...BUT THIS SHOULD MOSTLY ERODE AWAY BY NOON. SHOULD
SEE AN UPSWING IN ACTIVITY VERSUS YESTERDAY...PROBABLY MORE LIKE
SATURDAY. ESPECIALLY LATER THIS AFTERNOON AS EASTERLY FLOW
INCREASES...GIVING BETTER STORM ORGANIZATION. BIGGEST THREAT WILL BE
HEAVY RAIN AND FLASH FLOODING THREATS...BUT A FEW ISOLATED WET
MICROBURST WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE.

AT LEAST CLIMATOLOGICALLY NORMAL MONSOON LEVEL PRECIPITATION CHANCES
THROUGH THE WEEK...AS MOISTURE LEVELS REMAIN ELEVATED AND MARGINAL
TO GOOD FLOW AND SHEAR REGIME DEVELOPS.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...THE DAILY CYCLE OF MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING
THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THIS WEEK. RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES
OVERNIGHT WILL GENERALLY BE IN THE 70 TO 95 PERCENT RANGE...WITH
VALUES DECREASING INTO THE 30 TO 50 PERCENT RANGE DURING THE
AFTERNOON HOURS.

&&

.AVIATION...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR ACROSS SE
AZ TODAY AND TONIGHT. CLOUD BASES ASSOCIATED WITH CB/S WILL
GENERALLY BE AROUND 6-8KFT AGL...THOUGH CIGS WILL BE AS LOW AS
2-4KFT AGL WITH THE STRONGEST TSTMS. MOUNTAIN TOP OBSCURATION AT
TIMES DUE TO THE CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT
UPDATED FOR TAF AND TWEB AMENDMENTS.

&&

.TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

SHOEMAKER

WEATHER.GOV/TUCSON