Dust Cloud Envelopes Pheonix

Dust clouds spread across the Phoenix area Sunday afternoon due to clusters of monsoon storms to the south and northwest, the National Weather Service reported.

Several small storms in Pima and Pinal counties and northwest Maricopa county fanned winds up to 35 miles an hour that caused the dust flurries, according to Valerie Meyers, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Saturday's storm moved from the east into Queen Creek and hit as far west as Tempe, but blew cooling winds across the Phoenix area, Leins said.

Temperatures in downtown Scottsdale, for example, dropped from 104 degrees before the storm to 87-degrees afterwards, Leins said.

The average Phoenix-area temperature Saturday was a high of 104-degrees and a low of 91-degrees, Leins said.

Monday is expected to be cooler still with temperatures as low as 97 degrees in north Scottsdale and the Cave Creek area, Leins said. The rest of the Valley will also have a respite from torrid temperatures as the mercury dips to about 100 degrees, Leins said.

Early morning cloud coverage will contribute to the temperature dip-down today and there is a chance of thunderstorms, Leins said.

"There is a significant decrease in the chance of precipitation during the week," he said. "We will have some pretty dry moving through, which is a little abnormal for this type of year."

The monsoons the Valley is seeing stem from storms that come crashing to the ground, spreading out in all directions, Leins said.

"If there are no mountains to stop it it goes on and on," blowing colder air 40 miles away, Leins said.

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