FIRST ALERT ACTION DAY: Tropical and monsoonal moisture brings storms and flooding to the area
Tracking Tropical system Lorena and monsoonal moisture, bringing in high levels of moisture to the Desert Southwest. Severe showers and storms will be possible and risks of flooding through early Friday morning.
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - No, a hurricane is not coming to the Desert Southwest. However, we do have an active tropical system that will fuel in a surge of moisture into the Desert Southwest starting today.
Tropical Storm Lorena reached a category 1 Hurricane on Wednesday morning with sustained winds of 80 MPH. Since this morning, Lorena has already started to weaken and is now back to a tropical storm.
As Lorena continues to move north into colder water and begins to move inland on the peninsula, it’s expected to continue to weaken. Lorena will not make landfall in the United States.
The remnants from Lorena will be the reason why I am issuing a Weather Authority First Alert ACTION DAY today and tomorrow morning to stay alert due to the risks and potential of heavy rain and flooding risks to our area.
There are also risks for small hail, dense blowing dust, and a chance for wind gusts 35+ MPH.
Just after 8 pm, a Severe Thunderstorm hit Yuma County. It brought heavy rainfall, flooding, power outages, and strong winds. The highest wind gusts recorded in Yuma was 60 MPH.
Now, a Flood Watch is NOW in effect for both Yuma and Imperial Counties through midnight tonight.
Keep in mind that excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Low-water crossings may be flooded.
Remember flood safety: Never drive or even walk in flooded areas or low water crossings. And don’t forget TURN AROUND, DON’T DROWN.
There are a few Flood Warnings until 12:30 a.m. and they are the areas in those colored boxes.
With the active storms from tonight, here are the rain total accumulations so far. Some areas got over an inch of rain within Yuma County. I will  have updates on this tomorrow, but this is what it's reading as of now.
Looking at our futuretrack, the most active for showers and storms is through tonight, but there are still more chances that can linger into our Friday.
With all this moisture, it will bring in high humidity, making it feel sticky and muggy for now. But we will also experience a drop in our temperatures with highs in the mid and upper 90s through Saturday. Temperatures will start to warm back up into the low 100s late in the weekend and next week with drier conditions.
We do have small rain chances that will linger through tomorrow, so stay tuned for any updates as I will be tracking closely.
