Hot and humid this week; mountain thunderstorms possible Monday afternoon

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – Monsoonal moisture is continuing to flow into our region, making for hot and sticky conditions for the week ahead.

The setup remains the same. A ridge of high pressure centered over the Four Corners is allowing southeasterly flow to push that monsoonal moisture our way. Spots like Arizona have already seen the impacts of monsoon thunderstorms, including flooding and haboobs!

Dew point temperatures throughout tomorrow will be in the upper 50s and 60s. If you're relying on an evaporative cooler to stay cool, this isn't the best news.

The added moisture will also lend itself to an increase in cloud cover tomorrow and chances for monsoonal rain in our local mountain communities. We pick up slight chances overnight and through the morning, but the best chance for more significant rainfall will be Monday afternoon. Most of the activity is centered on higher elevations right now, but these storms can easily drift over the valley and bring some sudden, heavy rainfall. We're keeping a very close eye on these conditions, so be sure to check back in with us.

Highs tomorrow will be lower than previous days, which is the nice change. The extra humidity will raise our heat index, though, making things feel warmer than what the mercury reads. We get even hotter as peak heat arrives on Wednesday, and with the added humidity, HeatRisk will also be elevated. Temperatures drop again Thursday and beyond as an even greater influx of moisture is expected, which could lend itself to more significant rainfall chances.

Have you downloaded the 'KESQ First Alert' app yet? It's FREE! Click here.

You'll stay up-to-date with the latest weather videos. In addition, be able to monitor the changing conditions from wherever you are!