After a long, hot summer that refused to die, what's better than a cool-down? How about even colder weather?
A strong but dry storm system sweeping through Arizona is expected to drop daytime highs down to the upper 60s by Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Usually at this time of year, maximum temperatures are in the upper 70s.
When the cold front passes through the Valley on Sunday, it will carry wind gusts up to 40 mph and the risk of blowing sand and dust. The weather service said it is considering issuing a wind advisory. There is a slight chance of showers in the Valley's forecast, but the best chance of rain is in the mountains to the north and east.
Arizona's higher elevations could see rain on Sunday morning, with the snow level dropping from 9,000 feet to about 6,500 feet as the day progresses. But forecasters said they didn't expect much precipitation to fall anywhere, as computer models show the atmosphere will have little moisture for the storm to wring out. In the storm's wake will come cool, dry air. Early Tuesday, the outlying parts of the East Valley could see minimum temperatures in the lower 40s, about 10 degrees cooler than average. The Valley finally received relief from the heat earlier this week. Before Wednesday, above-average temperatures were recorded on 20 straight days, including record highs in Phoenix on Oct. 30 and Oct. 31.
Friday's high was 77, a degree below the daily climatological average. The forecast high for today is 81.
