Chilly weather arrives Tuesday and stays through New Year

The high temperature in Maricopa won’t get out of the 50s on Tuesday due to a cold Pacific weather system.

And little change is seen through the week, according to the National Weather Service in Phoenix.

Moreover, low temperatures will drop into the low 30s on Wednesday and Thursday morning with forecasters cautioning people to protect their pets and plants from temperatures that will near or fall below freezing.

Thursday night, New Year’s Eve, is expected to be the colder of the two nights. The normal high temperature for Dec. 31 in Phoenix is 66 degrees and the normal low is 44 degrees. The record cool high temperature of 47 was set in 1915 due to a winter weather system that dropped three feet of snow in Sedona and five feet in Flagstaff. The weight of the snow caused damage to buildings in both cities.

Breezy conditions will develop Monday as the weather system moves through, with wind gusts reaching from 25-35 mph, the weather service said. On Monday night, there is a 40% chance of rain showers that diminishes into Tuesday morning.

Here’s the 7-day forecast:

Sunday night: Cloudy, then gradual clearing toward daybreak, with a low around 44. Calm wind becoming south southeast around 5 mph after midnight.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 66. Breezy, with a south wind 5 to 15 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.

Monday night: A 40% chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light south southwest after midnight.

Tuesday: A 20% chance of showers before 11 a.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tuesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 32. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 60. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.

Wednesday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 30. Calm wind.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60. Calm wind becoming north northeast around 5 mph.

Thursday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 32. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.

New Year’s Day: Sunny, with a high near 61. Calm wind becoming north northwest around 5 mph.

Friday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 31. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. Calm wind becoming east northeast around 5 mph.

Saturday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 32. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.