Storm chances tonight before major warm-up later this week

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - Residents across the Yuma and Imperial Valley region could see some unsettled weather to start the week before temperatures surge toward potentially record-breaking heat by the weekend.

According to the National Weather Service, a low-pressure system moving across the Southwest will bring scattered showers and thunderstorms to the area Monday afternoon through Monday night.

The first storms are expected to develop in southwest Arizona, including Yuma County, before shifting eastward later in the evening.

While widespread severe weather is not expected, some storms could still produce strong wind gusts above 35 mph, small hail, and brief periods of heavy rainfall. Most locations will likely see light rainfall totals, but isolated areas could pick up more than a quarter inch of rain with heavier storms.

Cloud cover and the passing system will also bring cooler temperatures to start the week. Highs in the Yuma and Imperial Valley region are expected to reach the mid-70s Monday, while some areas farther east in Arizona may still climb closer to 80 degrees.

Conditions will begin improving Tuesday as the storm system moves east, although a few lingering showers may still be possible early in the day before skies gradually clear.

By Wednesday, a strong ridge of high pressure is expected to build over the Southwest, quickly shifting the region into a warming trend. Afternoon temperatures across the lower deserts, including Yuma and El Centro, are forecast to climb into the mid-80s.

That warming trend will accelerate later in the week.

Meteorologists say temperatures could run 15 to 20 degrees above normal from Thursday through the weekend, creating a stretch of unusually warm conditions across the desert Southwest.

Some of the hottest lower desert communities, including parts of the Yuma and Imperial Valley area, could even approach or reach the first 100-degree temperatures of the year.

Several daily record highs could be challenged in both Yuma and El Centro beginning Thursday and continuing into early next week.

Along with the heat, humidity levels are expected to drop significantly later this week, with very dry desert air returning to the region.

After the brief storm chances early in the week, the forecast for the Yuma and Imperial Valley region looks to remain dry, with plenty of sunshine and much warmer temperatures heading into the weekend.