Heat wave hell: Phoenix high temp soars to 118º, shatters previous record

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Temperatures continue to soar across Arizona. In Phoenix, Sky Harbor Airport reached 118 degrees by 3 p.m., breaking the record daily high of 116º that was set in 1983.

Metro Phoenix’s high temperatures are expected to be in the 115-117 range through the weekend. Overnight lows in the central city remain in the 90s.

At this point, it looks like the hottest day of the heatwave may be next Tuesday, but we could make a run toward super hot temperatures on any day.

The ridge of high pressure driving this heat also clamps off any real import of monsoon moisture. While we are seeing some initial hints of a change, i.e., more moisture by a week from Sunday, July 14, it’s way too early to get more specific on the forecast than that.

One thing we’re pretty confident about is that the residual moisture from Hurricane Beryl will not likely affect the Arizona monsoon.

The ridge of high pressure is preventing most of the moisture from entering our state. At times, tropical storms in the Gulf of Mexico and running through the Pacific can significantly impact our chances for summer storms.

By the way, highs of 115 all of a sudden seem kind of “normal” around the Valley, but that really wasn’t really the case.

We bolted to 14 days of 115 degrees or more in 2020, and then last year did it again with 20 days of 115 degrees or higher.

For the first 110 years of Phoenix’s weather records, from 1895 to 2004, we recorded 86 days of 115 degrees or higher. But in just the last 20 years, and this year isn’t done, we’ve already recorded 83 days of 115 degrees or more.

Yes, it’s getting hotter around here. And it’s getting hotter quickly.

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