Above-normal October heat in the southeast Valley is expected to break this weekend, when moisture from Hurricane Rachel is forecast to reach Arizona and bring rain and thunderstorm chances.
The National Weather Service's forecast for Queen Creek calls for sunshine with a high near 102 on Thursday and near 101 on Friday, with overnight lows in the mid to upper 70s. Forecasters in Phoenix said Wednesday that lower-desert highs are running about 10 degrees above normal for early October.
How the pattern changes
Rachel was still a hurricane Wednesday afternoon, with top winds near 80 mph about 800 miles west of the southern tip of Baja California, according to the National Hurricane Center. The center expects it to weaken gradually, slow down and make a sharp turn to the northeast by the end of the week.
In its Wednesday discussion, the weather service office in Phoenix said a trough settling over the West Coast this weekend is likely to pick up the storm's remnants and pull moisture into the Desert Southwest. Rain chances could start as early as Saturday afternoon in south-central Arizona and peak Sunday into Monday.
The Queen Creek forecast lists:
- Saturday: showers and thunderstorms likely after a slight morning chance, high near 95, 60% chance of rain
- Saturday night: 70% chance, low around 71
- Sunday: 70% chance, high near 87, gusts up to 35 mph
- Monday: 60% chance, high near 82
Forecasters cautioned that rainfall totals are still uncertain and depend on Rachel's track and how it interacts with the West Coast trough. The current point forecast calls for no more than a tenth to a quarter of an inch in any 12-hour period.
