hot
Friday is earliest, valleys can get rain
Posted
The prize for breaking the Valley’s heat record is probably more sunshine.
With no monsoons in sight on Tuesday, temperatures in the valley hit at least 110 degrees Celsius for the 19th straight day, breaking the record set on June 29, 1974, nearly 50 years ago.
Temperatures hit a record high of 110 degrees Celsius at Sky Harbor International Airport around noon on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Why hasn’t the valley had a monsoon so far this summer?
“Good question,” said Austin Jamison, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Phoenix. “That will probably need to be studied retrospectively.”
A better answer, Jamison said, is that the “wind flow patterns” aren’t set up in a way that allows enough moisture to enter the area. Meteorologists say the heat will continue into the second half of the week.
Jamison and another Phoenix meteorologist said last week that this summer could be much drier and hotter.
A high of 119 degrees could be possible on Friday, Jamison said. Saturday and Sunday can be similarly hot, with temperatures reaching 116 degrees Celsius on both days. In fact, a high of 110 degrees Celsius is expected through next Tuesday, Jamison said.
But there may be a glimmer of hope that the Valley will be hit by rain on Friday night. Meteorologists say there is a 10% to 20% chance of rain across the valley.
“There will be a lot more activity this weekend and next week,” Jamison said. “But it’s not going to get (temperatures) down to average. It’s going to be pretty hot.”
The average high for this time of year is 107 degrees Celsius, Jamison said.
Maricopa County confirmed 425 heat-related deaths in 2022, a 25% increase from the previous year. So far this year, 12 residents have died in 2023 from what appear to be heat-related problems, according to the latest statistics from the county health department.
Nearly 3,000 Arizona residents visit emergency rooms each year for heat stroke, the health department added.
Jamison said temperatures could drop if there is significant humidity or thunderstorms in the valley.
This year will be different than the 2021 monsoon season, which saw abundant rainfall.
In July 2021, areas such as Miami and Sun City, about 80 miles east of Apache Junction, received significant amounts of rain. Miami reported 8.55 inches of rain that month, while the Sun City Weather Station reported 5.59 inches of rain during the month of July, officials said.
The monsoon season usually starts around June 15th and ends around September 30th.
As of July 18, Sky Harbor hasn’t seen a single drop of rain since the start of this year’s monsoon season, Jamison said.
A meteorologist admits there are no parties scheduled after breaking the heat record.
“That’s not the record I want to achieve.”
Glendale Independent Editor Steve Stockmar contributed to this article.
Brent Ruffner
Reporter | Anthem & Phoenix
@AzNewsmedia
BRuffner@iniusa.org
Since middle school, Brent Ruffner has been fascinated by journalism.
His articles have appeared in newspapers from Albuquerque to Arizona since 2001, and he has always had a talent for making sure his facts are correct and his words are on point.
Brent grew up watching sports reporters cover his beloved Phoenix Suns, the team Charles Barkley has been chasing since he first arrived in Phoenix in a trade in 1992. Back then, sports reporting was a dream.
But after gaining experience as a writer, Brent realized he loved news rather than covering different kinds of sports. She moved to New Mexico in 2008 and covered crime, school and city violence all while holding elected officials accountable.
He has covered a wide range of articles, from drug enforcement catastrophes to award-winning articles on school lunches.
In Arizona, Brent was a freelance writer covering everything from the importance of citrus in the state to Esteban’s storefront in downtown Prescott.
Brent graduated from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite Graduate School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 2007.
