Hot week ahead for Navajo Nation, with storms bringing relief, new fire danger
WINDOW ROCK
High pressure will bring hot daytime temperatures to the Navajo Nation and the wider Four Corners region this week, with an extreme heat warning posted for the Grand Canyon and rising thunderstorm chances bringing both relief and new fire hazards by midweek, according to the National Weather Service offices in Flagstaff and Albuquerque.
In the Navajo Nation communities of northeastern Arizona, the weather service in Flagstaff forecasts highs in Chinle climbing to 95 degrees on Tuesday, then easing slightly Wednesday and reaching 92 Thursday. Kayenta is expected to reach 94 on Tuesday, 93 Wednesday and 91 Thursday. Window Rock and Ganado could each peak at 91 Tuesday.
On the New Mexico side of the Nation, the weather service in Albuquerque forecasts Gallup reaching 93 by Tuesday and 92 on Wednesday before cooling to 89 by Thursday. Farmington is expected to hit 97 on Tuesday and 95 on Wednesday, then 93 by Thursday.
Among the surrounding towns, Flagstaff will peak at 90 Tuesday. Tuba City and Page top out at 102 Tuesday. Holbrook is expected to peak at 97 Tuesday and Winslow at 100 Tuesday.
The most severe heat is concentrated in the Grand Canyon, where the weather service in Flagstaff issued an extreme heat warning from 10 a.m. Monday through 7 p.m. Tuesday for areas below 4,000 feet. The weather agency urges people to drink plenty of water even when not thirsty and to avoid strenuous hikes during the hottest part of the day to guard against heat stroke.
The weather service in Albuquerque forecasts hot temperatures will continue throughout the region this week and peak Tuesday, with cooler conditions in eastern New Mexico on Monday. The agency also flagged moderate heat risk over lower elevations of central and southern New Mexico on Monday and Tuesday, with highs in the 90s to the mid-100s, expanding to much of the state Tuesday. Locally major heat risk is expected in the middle and lower Rio Grande Valley.
Moisture builds back into the Four Corners by midweek, raising rain chances throughout the Navajo Nation.
The weather service in Flagstaff forecasts Thursday rain chances in Chinle, Ganado, Kayenta, Tuba City and Window Rock. Flagstaff, Holbrook, Winslow and Page could also get some much-needed moisture this week. On the New Mexico side, the Albuquerque office forecasts Gallup, Grants and Farmington could see rain.
The returning moisture carries its own hazard.
From Tuesday through Friday, the weather service in Albuquerque warned of virga showers and dry thunderstorms over western and central New Mexico, with abrupt, erratic wind gusts accompanying showers that produce little, if any, rain.
Virga occurs when rain evaporates and cools the air before reaching the ground, according to the agency.
Dry lightning over higher terrain may spark new fires given dry vegetation, with the threat focused on the western mountains Tuesday and expanding to western and much of central New Mexico from Wednesday through Friday during afternoon and early evening hours.
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Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow