After a sunny weekend, a cold front is making its way through Tucson, bringing gusty winds and freezing temperatures.
The National Weather Service issued a freeze watch for Wednesday morning from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. Depending on the location, temperatures could drop between 29 degrees and 34 degrees, the NWS said.
Despite the cold start, temperatures will warm up toward the end of the week. Starting Thursday, highs will be back in the 80s.
And by Easter weekend, Tucson will see sunny weather with highs in the upper 80s to low 90s.
A red flag warning was also issued on Tuesday for southeast Arizona from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. During that timeframe, gusty winds and low humidity are expected, which increases the potential for fires.
Due to the winds, the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality issued a dust pollution advisory for the Tucson metro area.
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Those sensitive to dust pollution, such as children, older adults and people with heart or lung diseases, should limit their level of exertion when outside on Tuesday, the PDEQ said. Breathing in the small particles can irritate the respiratory system and worsen chronic heart and lung diseases.
To help reduce dust pollution, individuals can stop fireplace and wood stove use, avoid burning leaves or trash, avoid using gas-powered lawn and garden equipment, avoid using leaf blowers, avoid using off-highway vehicles and drivers shouldn’t exceed 25 miles per hour while driving on dirt roads, the PDEQ said.
The windy weather has also made it hard to contain the Williams Fire in Cochise County. The fire started Monday afternoon near Hereford and grew to about 500 acres.
Two primary structures and two to three secondary buildings were lost in the fire, the Bureau of Land Management said. Evacuations have since been lifted, and all roadways are now open.
As of Tuesday morning, the forward progress had stopped, and the fire was about 25% contained.
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