Rain chances to increase in southwestern US amid cooldown this week

After a stretch of unseasonable warmth, a change in the weather pattern will bring cooler air and the opportunity for wet weather to the southwestern United States this week.

During the first eight days of the month, temperatures averaged 6-12 degrees Fahrenheit above normal across California and the Desert Southwest.

The warmth, combined with persistent dryness, reignited the wildfire danger amid worsening drought.

Late on Saturday afternoon, a touring helicopter crashed in the Grand Canyon, killing three people and injuring several others, ABC News reported. The cause of the crash is unknown at this time. Winds at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport were gusting between 18-28 mph around the time of the incident.

A round of gusty Santa Ana winds set to whip through the wind-prone passes and canyons of Southern California into Sunday morning will again raise the risk of fires igniting and rapidly spreading.

However, the renewed fire danger will be short-lived as cooler air spreads southward into early this week.

As a pocket of cold air high in the atmosphere sweeps along the West Coast at the start of the week, humidity and the opportunity for wet weather will increase while the risk of fire ignition decreases.

“This system could eventually pick up some moisture and bring showers to Southern California by Tuesday,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Samuhel said.

Spotty showers will also be possible around Las Vegas and Phoenix during one or more days early next this week.

Motorists could face slick travel on the roadways due to prior oil buildup. A low cloud ceiling could delay flights into and out of Los Angeles and San Diego international airports.

If the system taps into moisture from the eastern Pacific Ocean, there is the potential for it to become a significant rain producer, according to Samuhel.

While significant rainfall would be good news for the drought, such a scenario would also elevate the risk of flash flooding and mudslides, especially in burn scar areas.

The spell of cloudy, damp weather will end the latest stretch of record-challenging warmth and bring the return of more seasonable temperatures.

The upper 70s to lower 80s F that were common in Los Angeles during the first days of February will be replaced with 60s to lower 70s into the middle of the week.

After hitting the 70s for six consecutive days to start the month, Las Vegas will fail to leave the 60s for much of the week.

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