First Alert Weather Day Wednesday for rain across central Arizona

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - It’s a terrific Tuesday here in the Valley, with abundant sunshine and highs in the low 80 in parts of the Valley. But we have declared a FIRST ALERT for a major weather change in the Valley on Wednesday.

A warm spring storm is already drenching parts of California and will be appearing in the form of rain, heavy at times, across the Valley Wednesday. We are already seeing showers moving into northwestern Arizona tonight. Expect rain on top of the snowpack in northern Arizona. Rainfall totals across the Valley will range from .25″-.50″ in the urban areas with up to an inch or more in the upslope areas north and east of the city by Wednesday night into early Thursday morning. Don’t be surprised if an isolated thunderstorm or two pops up late as the cold front passes through the Valley.

A Flood Warning has been issued for the Wet Beaver Creek area and along Oak Creek from the Sedona area down through Cornville. In addition, a Flood Watch has been issued for a large part of northern Arizona from Wednesday morning through Thursday night. This is for areas especially south of the Mogollon Rim. Be mindful of running streams, creeks, and rivers, and avoid low-lying crossings. Snow levels with this spring storm will be high, over 8,000ft to start with, lowering to 6,500ft by early Thursday. Minimal accumulation of snow is expected below 7,500ft. Thursday morning, expect slick road conditions in our mountain cities. From half of an inch to over an inch of rain in many mountain towns is possible from this storm.

We should see clearing skies as the moisture shifts east of the state Thursday. Highs will be in the low 70s, well below average for this time of year. Cooler-than-average highs and partly cloudy skies should carry into the weekend. Some models suggest a slight chance of rain from a new system, mostly east of the Valley over the weekend. But the timing and confidence of this next storm remain low at this point.

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