Pacific storms to snap record heat wave in western US this week with cooler air, spotty rain
After days of record-breaking heat across the West, a series of storms will bring cooler air, spotty thunderstorms, rain and mountain snow to some regions this week, though drought and wildfire relief may be limited.
From record-shattering snow in Alaska to historic heat in California to devastating flooding in Hawaii, the farthest reaches of the western U.S. experienced a March packed with wild weather.
Many areas have already recorded their highest temperatures of the extensive heat wave, but several more hot days are ahead across much of the Rockies and Plains. Relief from the heat is on the horizon; however, a shift in the weather pattern will send multiple storms, cooling much of the region and bringing rain and mountain snow to some areas.
"Close to 700 monthly record highs have been set so far during the heat wave, along with more than 2,000 daily record highs," said AccuWeather Meteorologist and social media producer Jesse Ferrell.
Phoenix recorded three consecutive days at or above 105 degrees Fahrenheit from March 19-21. During that stretch, Palm Springs, California, reached 108, while Yuma, Arizona, hit 109. This extreme heat is more typical of June and July.
The remaining heat will shift from day to day early this week. Temperatures have eased slightly over the interior Southwest in recent days compared to the peak last week. However, heat will continue to rebuild into Sunday, with many locations likely to set additional record highs.
Heat surged across the Plains at midweek, with multiple locations setting daily record highs. Cooler air pushed southward into Friday, but heat will continue to build on Sunday.
Changes are coming, thanks to multiple storms
Three storms will move into different parts of the West through Wednesday.
The first storm will be relatively sporadic but may have enough strength to draw moisture northward from the subtropical Pacific across Mexico and into parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado from Sunday to Monday.
This setup may mimic the early stages of the North American monsoon, but it is too early in the season for the monsoon pattern to take hold and persist.
Enough moisture may arrive to trigger spotty thunderstorms with locally gusty winds and lightning strikes that could spark wildfires. In areas with little or no rain, storms may also produce blowing dust.
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From Tuesday into Tuesday night, the next storm will move in from the Pacific Ocean. This storm will bring rain to California, northern Nevada and parts of southern Oregon and Idaho.
How far south steady, soaking rain reaches remains uncertain, with only sporadic showers, at most, anticipated in much of Nevada.
The primary impact of the Tuesday storm will be cooler air spreading across much of the West.
For example, Sacramento, California, tied the record high of 84 degrees, set in 2018, on Saturday. Temperatures will challenge record highs again on Sunday, before highs will drop to near 80 on Monday and the 60s on Tuesday. In downtown Los Angeles, temperatures will fall from well into the 80s on Sunday to near 70 by Tuesday. Highs in Phoenix are forecast to reach the mid-80s by Wednesday.
Some high-elevation snow is likely Tuesday night, but it will not compare to the blockbuster winter storms earlier this season.
The third and largest storm will track into the Northwest Wednesday, bringing rain and mountain snow to Washington, Oregon and Northern California before spreading into northern Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoing, Colorado and Utah later in the week.
Despite three storms affecting the West in less than a week, total rainfall may be limited, especially across the Colorado River basin and the deserts.
Wildfire conditions that kicked into high gear thanks to the current heat wave may linger well into the typical green-up season over the Rockies and Plains.
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