The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory for the Tonopah Desert and Gila Bend areas from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, with east winds of 20 to 30 mph and gusts up to 45 mph expected.
The advisory issued at 12:15 a.m. Wednesday covers western and southern desert communities including Tonopah, Arlington, Wintersburg, Hassayampa and Gila Bend. It also extends into the Sonoran Desert National Monument, West Pinal County, the Gila River Valley, Kofa and Yuma.
The advisory does not include the central Phoenix metro, but gusts of 30 to 40 mph are likely across Phoenix and surrounding communities during the latter half of Friday morning, according to the NWS Phoenix forecast discussion issued at 3:21 a.m. Wednesday.
Friday morning brings the strongest winds
NWS expects the strongest winds in the advisory area from mid- to late morning Friday. Gusts could make driving difficult for trucks, recreational vehicles and other high-profile vehicles, especially where crosswinds affect exposed roads.
For West Valley drivers, the advisory area includes the Interstate 10 corridor through Tonopah and the approaches to Gila Bend. NWS also warned that light, unsecured objects may become airborne.
Blowing dust or sand could briefly cut visibility to well under a mile in desert areas. Drivers who encounter dense dust should avoid stopping in a travel lane and should wait for visibility to improve before continuing when it is safe to pull completely off the roadway.
The broader wind event will begin Thursday across the western deserts as a pressure gradient strengthens between a low-pressure system southwest of Arizona and high pressure over the Great Basin. Stronger east winds are forecast to spread across southern and central Arizona before sunrise Friday.
Limited rain chances may return
Dry weather is expected Wednesday and Thursday. NWS forecasts a 10% to 20% chance of light, high-based showers Friday afternoon into Saturday as moisture moves back into the region. Most locations are expected to receive no measurable rain or only a trace to a few hundredths of an inch.
Winds should ease across most lower-desert locations Friday afternoon, though gusts of 25 to 35 mph may continue across much of southern and central Arizona on Saturday.
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality expects Phoenix-area air quality to remain in the Good category Wednesday. Its forecast says recent rainfall should limit widespread dust Friday, but localized dust remains possible in dust-prone areas as winds strengthen.
Residents in the advisory area should secure patio furniture, trash bins and other loose outdoor items before Friday morning. Forecasts and advisory boundaries can change, so residents and travelers should check the NWS Phoenix office before leaving.
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