Warm finish to the week before storm chances arrive

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - It's going to be a hot and dry stretch across Yuma and Imperial Counties through Thursday, with afternoon highs near 105 degrees, several degrees above average for late September.

Heat safety remains important, especially for anyone spending extended time outdoors during peak afternoon hours.

Changes arrive late Thursday into Friday as a Pacific low-pressure system pushes inland. This will help pull more moisture into the region, leading to increasing shower and thunderstorm chances.

While the best chance for heavy rainfall and severe storms will remain east of our area, Yuma and Imperial Counties could still see gusty outflow winds and isolated storms late Thursday into Friday.

By Friday, temperatures will cool noticeably. Highs are expected to fall back into the low-to-mid 90s, with some spots possibly staying below 90 if storms develop early in the day.

That cooler trend is forecast to continue into the weekend, with highs in the upper 80s to around 90 degrees, five to eight degrees below normal.

Rain chances may linger into Saturday, though uncertainty remains on how long the system will stick around. Any showers that do develop could bring locally heavy rainfall, but widespread flooding issues are not expected in Yuma and Imperial Counties.

Looking ahead to next week, conditions should gradually dry out and temperatures will return closer to normal.