Windy and cool now, mid-80s heat returns

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - It’s going to be a windy and cooler end to the week across Yuma and the Imperial Valley before a big warmup arrives this weekend.

A fast-moving system is pushing through the Desert Southwest tonight into Friday morning, reinforcing cooler-than-normal temperatures and bringing breezy to locally windy conditions especially across Imperial County. Wind gusts between 25 to 40 miles per hour will be common, with the southwest corner of Imperial County potentially seeing gusts as high as 60 to 65 miles per hour at times. A Wind Advisory remains in effect for parts of Imperial County through early Friday morning. Blowing dust and reduced visibility will be possible, particularly for drivers along open desert roadways.

Temperatures will stay below normal Friday, with morning lows in the low to mid-40s and afternoon highs only reaching the low to mid-60s across both Yuma and the Imperial Valley. Winds will gradually calm down by late Friday morning into the afternoon, leading to quieter conditions heading into the weekend.

Then comes a major shift.

By Saturday, skies clear out and winds relax, setting the stage for a chilly start to the morning but a warming trend through the afternoon. The bigger change arrives Sunday into early next week as high pressure builds across the region. Temperatures will climb well above normal, with highs pushing into the mid-80s by Monday and Tuesday across Yuma and the Imperial Valley about 8 to 14 degrees above average for late February.

Dry weather is expected to stick around through at least the middle of next week, with no significant rain chances in sight for our area.

So in short: windy and cool to end the week, calm and warming this weekend, and feeling more like early summer than February by early next week.