PHOENIX, Ariz. – A historic heat wave continues to grip Phoenix, but the end may be in sight for residents of Arizona’s largest city.
The high temperature in Phoenix on Sunday is expected to reach 43.8 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit), tying the record for that date set in 1990. It is also the 55th day this year that the official reading at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport reached at least 43.3 C (110 F).
An extreme heat warning is expected to end at 8pm on Sunday, and forecasters are predicting a high of 41.1 C (106 F) on Monday and 38.8 C (102 F) on Tuesday.
“I don’t want to say, ‘Yeah, this is the last one,’ but it’s more likely: This is our last 110 degrees this summer,” said Chris Kuhlman of the National Weather Service in Phoenix.
The city surpassed the previous record of 53 days, set in 2020, when it hit 45 C (113 F) on Saturday.
Phoenix has experienced the three hottest months since records began in 1895, including the hottest July and the second hottest August. The average daily temperature of 36.1 C (97 F) in June, July and August surpassed the previous record of 35.9 C (96.7 F) set three years ago.
The average daily temperature is 39.3 C (102.7 F) in July, Salerno said, and the daily average in August is 37.1 C (98.8 F). In July, Phoenix also set a record with 31 days in a row of highs of 110 F (43.3 C) or higher. The previous record of 18 consecutive days was set in 1974.
The hot summer of 2023 saw a historic heat wave from Texas, through New Mexico and Arizona, to the California desert.
Worldwide, August was the hottest month on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
