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TUCSON - Storm chances on the rise as we head into the weekend.

As of 3:15pm Saturday afternoon thunderstorm development is taking off in central portions of Santa Cruz county. Best thunderstorm initiation will be south of the Tucson metro area today but can't rule out the chance to a storm role into the valley floor later this afternoon. Our Monsoon Prediction Index is at a 4 today, the low end of a moderate risk to see some of the storms turn severe this afternoon. Any storms that do develop could send strong outflow winds creating blowing dust hazards on the roadways. If you do run into a dust storm pull over and let it pass.

A better chance to see showers and thunderstorms develop area wide is on deck for Sunday and Monday. As moisture flow starts to increase on these days we'll jump the Monsoon Prediction Index up to a 6 giving us a pretty decent chance to see some storms turn severe across Southern Arizona.

The heat should be on the decline the next couple of days as moisture and thunderstorm activity keeps the daytime highs down. The low triple digits are in the forecast for Sunday and Monday offering a short break from the 105 plus temperatures. However, as drier air makes its way here by midweek so does the above average heat.