Monsoon to bring chance of storms

MONTEREY » A monsoon storm that pummeled Phoenix earlier this week may impact parts of the Bay Area beginning tonight, according to the National Weather Service in Monterey.

Meteorologists are forecasting a 15 to 20 percent chance of thunderstorms in the North and East bays. The thunderstorms are expected to last through early Friday morning.

The “monsoon moisture” is moving north from Arizona into Central and Northern California and is the same system that pounded Phoenix on Monday with 70 mph winds, heavy rain and dust storms, according to Drew Peterson, a meteorologist with the weather service.

Peterson said it was “really hard to pin down where we’re going to see any activity.”

“We’re primarily looking at the North and East bays for a slight chance of a dry thunderstorm,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we won’t get any precipitation. It’s possible we could get some rain out of it.”

With cooler temperatures and the return of the marine layer across the Bay Area, potential wildfires from lightning strikes are not expected to grow rapidly, Peterson said.

Peterson said inland temperatures are expected to remain in the upper 80s for the next several days, with no real spikes expected.

“Our hottest days for recent memory will be behind us,” he said. “We’re not looking at any extreme temperatures any time soon.”

Staff writer Jason Green contributed to this report. Contact Mark Gomez at 408-920-5869.