Monsoon rain to soak parched Southwest, but it won't be enough to erase extreme drought

PHOENIX – After a astir nonexistent commencement to the monsoon season successful the parched Southwest, flooding rainfall is expected to instrumentality arsenic we adjacent retired the play and invited a caller workweek.

The FOX Forecast Center said that arsenic a ridge of high pressure shifts toward the Great Basin and Four Corners region, a surge of monsoonal moisture volition propulsion westward into much interior portions of the interior Colorado River basin.

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And with immoderate rising moisture levels and scorching temperatures, wide thunderstorms are expected to make during the day hours crossed the Southwest. 

And portion flooding is simply a concern, the rainfall volition beryllium beneficial for galore cities crossed the region.

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"It’s a communicative of feast to famine, right?" FOX Weather Meteorologist Michael Estime said. "There’s mode excessively overmuch rainfall retired successful the Southeast, but it’s famine on the West Coast. In fact, it’s arsenic adust arsenic an overcooked turkey connected Thanksgiving on the West Coast."

The FOX Forecast Center said that much than 25 cities crossed the Southwest are presently experiencing 1 of their top-five driest years connected record, with overmuch of the portion successful terrible to exceptional drought.

"The full authorities of Arizona, right? The Valley of the Sun. Absolutely successful a drought, and astir 30 to astir 40 percent of the authorities is really successful an utmost (drought) with immoderate exceptional drought being reported," Estime said.

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This graphic shows the Arizona drought monitor.

(FOX Weather)

It goes without saying that the portion desperately needs precipitation.

"So, immoderate folks are really truly celebrating the information that we’ll get immoderate rain," Estime continued. "Not conscionable successful Flagstaff, but successful Albuquerque and each the mode up successful Colby, Kansas."

Phoenix is astir 3 inches beneath its mean rainfall for the year, portion Flagstaff is moving much than 4 inches beneath average.

Thunderstorms that make could nutrient aggravated rainfall rates of 1-1.5 inches per hour, starring to immoderate localized flash flooding.

Flood-prone areas, including successful canyons and burn scars, should beryllium alert of the menace arsenic we participate into the upcoming workweek.