Thunderstorms to spread across in the West this week
Showers and thunderstorms began in the Southwest to end the weekend, but AccuWeather meteorologists say that more areas in the region will get wet throughout much of the week.
Torrential rain swept through Colorado, causing traffic to slow down and streets to flood on May 30.
The Southwest is typically dry to start June as the annual monsoon usually doesn't ramp up into July. However, AccuWeather meteorologists say former Tropical Storm Alvin, along with a separate, non-tropical storm, will conspire to bring early-season rainfall.
"A low pressure area tapping into moisture from the Gulf of California and, additionally, moisture from the eastern Pacific being brought north by former Tropical Storm Alvin will cause thunderstorms in the Desert Southwest through Thursday," explained AccuWeather Meteorologist Jacob Hinson.
Overall, the rain will be beneficial. Much of the region has been entrenched in an extreme to exceptional drought.
While the rainfall from thunderstorms will be beneficial, lightning can be dangerous, especially those who are planning to spend time in the outdoors. The uptick in rain and thunderstorms will also bring an uptick in humidity.
In some locations, thunderstorms may contain little or no rainfall. Gusty winds caused by the thunderstorms could then present another hazard: blowing dust. That can be very hazardous as visibility can suddenly drop. Motorists traveling at highway speed may need to slow down very quickly, which can be dangerous to other motorists. Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, southwestern Colorado and the eastern part of Southern California would be the most likely areas to experience blowing dust.
Where too much rain falls, flooding can be a concern.
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"Flash flooding can occur in arroyos (dry stream beds), small streams and canyons, as these areas may rapidly fill with water, even with thunderstorms that are miles upstream," warned AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
While the intensity of the showers and thunderstorms was subsiding a bit on Tuesday and generally confined to higher elevations, the coverage area was expanding.
"As moisture expands over the next few days, thunderstorms can extend as far north as Idaho and southern Montana. These thunderstorms will not be as strong but can certainly prompt flash flooding, especially across area that have had very little in the way of rain this year," said Hinson.
Showers and thunderstorms should finally come to an end in Arizona and New Mexico by Friday, as moisture becomes focused farther to the north. Thunderstorms will become less numerous elsewhere, but could continue right into the weekend.
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