Rain, storms roll across metro Phoenix; Hurricane Hilary heads toward Southern California, potentially bringing rain to western Arizona

Thunderstorms rolled across eastern and northern sections of the Valley on Wednesday evening, bringing strong winds and rain sorely needed in the area, and more rain is possible for western Arizona as Hurricane Hilary heads toward Baja California and into Southern California over the next few days.

According to the National Weather Service, measurable rainfall stayed mostly confined to the eastern and northern sections of the Phoenix area on Wednesday, with some areas in north Scottsdale receiving over an inch of rain. Storms produced winds of around 40-50 mph in the southeast Valley.

The weather service has reported a "significant excessive rainfall threat" for southeast California, southern Nevada and western Arizona this weekend. Heavy rainfall could continue through south-central California into next week.

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The weather forecast for Phoenix and the rest of the state

The forecast for Phoenix calls for soaring temperatures and widespread rain. An excessive heat warning is in effect for the Valley until Thursday night, with above normal temperatures expected to hit 115 degrees and lows around 90.

But looking ahead toward the weekend, rain chances are forecast to ramp up — so much so that a slight risk of flooding is expected in some parts of the Valley.

Temperatures are also slated to fall below normal during the weekend, with increased moisture and rain chances due to Hurricane Hilary moving north up the Baja California coast.

The impacts of the storm are slated to be concentrated mainly in southwestern Arizona, but the path of the storm and the timing of it could change, potentially bringing further storms to the Valley.

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This storm comes as Phoenix is seeing one of its driest-ever summers, with just 0.28 inch of rain seen since May.

On average, 2.36 inches of rain is seen in the Valley from May to August, according to the weather service. In August, there has only been .08 inch of rain recorded by the weather service.

Thunderstorms and flash flooding are forecast from Thursday to Monday in northern Arizona. Partly sunny conditions with storms are in store for Flagstaff for the next five days.

Temperatures in the area are not expected to reach 80 degrees from Thursday night onward. Lows in the area are expected to hover at a chilly 50 degrees through the weekend.

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Temperatures in Tucson are expected to hover in the upper 90s and low 100s for the rest of this week. Lows in the area are forecast to hover around 80 degrees as well.

A wet weekend may be in the cards for the Tucson area with chances for rain and thunderstorms at around 40% until Sunday. Just as in Phoenix, these conditions come as Tropical Storm Hilary is forecast to move through the area.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix area sees rain, storms; Hurricane Hilary heads toward CA, AZ