Phoenix is under an excessive heat warning this weekend
PHOENIX — An extreme heat warning will be in effect for metro Phoenix this weekend, with record temperatures in the short-term forecast.
However, it is “very likely” the area will soon see its last 110-degree day of the year, according to the National Weather Service.
The extreme heat warning is set to run from 10am on Saturday to 8pm on Sunday, and it will be nearly as hot on Friday and Monday.
Multiple temperature drops are expected in Phoenix in the coming days, including the 110-degree mark for most days of the year.
Phoenix entered Friday with 52 days of at least 110 degrees in 2023, one day short of the record set in 2020.
Sweltering temperatures will be seen through the day Monday across southern Arizona and southeastern California with highs reaching their peak this weekend with most low desert areas reaching 110 degrees Fahrenheit. An excessive heat warning is in effect Saturday and Sunday. Fortunately, you will see some cooling by the middle of next week. #azwx #cawx pic.twitter.com/wV1GYaXPYM
— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) September 8, 2023
The record was equaled on Friday when the temperature in Phoenix reached 110 degrees at 2:46 p.m., and could be broken on Saturday and extended on Sunday and possibly Monday.
In fact, Phoenix was expected to post top daily marks Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
When will Phoenix rest from the excessive heat?
While the Valley has seen more than its share of extreme heat in 2023, there’s a good chance Sunday or Monday will be the last day it hits 110 degrees in Phoenix until next year.
“It’s going to be very difficult to get to 110 degrees after the current heat streak,” said Chris Coleman of the National Weather Service in Phoenix. KTAR News 92.3 FM On Friday morning.
“So, I hate to say, ‘Yes, this will be our last,’ but that will likely be the case, this will be our last 110-point stretch this summer.”
Although temperatures are expected to drop next week (still in the 100s), dry conditions are likely to persist. There is a slight chance of rain at the start of the week, but nothing like rain is in the forecast.
“We have an increase in humidity starting Monday into Tuesday, but right now there is a very limited chance, like a 10-20% chance in the Phoenix area on Tuesday,” Coleman said.
Sky Harbor International Airport, which the National Weather Service uses for official Phoenix readings, saw just 0.13 inches of rain during what is the city’s driest monsoon season (June 15-Sept. 30) on record. The previous low was 0.35 inches in 1924.
Phoenix heat records are nothing new in 2023
It’s been a summer of extreme heat in Phoenix, including a record stretch of 31 consecutive 110-degree days from June 30 to July 30. The previous record was 18 days in 1974.
That streak made July in Phoenix the hottest month on record for a U.S. city, according to Arizona State Climate Bureau.
Most recently, Phoenix broke the record for hottest “climatic summer” (July-August) with an average temperature of 97 degrees. This surpasses the previous record of 96.7 degrees recorded in 2020.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs in mid-August declared a state of emergency after more than a month of extreme heat statewide.
Hobbs then said the declaration would allow the state to reimburse various government entities for money spent on providing high-temperature relief.
Jim Cross of KTAR News 92.3 FM and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
