California city breaks Phoenix record for hottest month ever recorded in US

PHOENIX – It wasn’t fun while it lasted. Phoenix no longer has the distinction of enduring the hottest month ever recorded in a U.S. city.

That dishonor now belongs to Needles, California, according to the Arizona State Climate Office. The city of about 5,000 residents, which sits just across the Arizona state line along Interstate 40, broke the Phoenix record by averaging 103.2 degrees in July.

Phoenix is happy to relinquish the record to Needles, now the hottest monthly U.S. city with 103.2°F (preliminary avg July temp).

Arizona welcomes a few new members to the 100°F+ monthly temp club: Palm Springs (100.0°F) and Blythe (100.7°F). Welcome?

This is the 2nd time… pic.twitter.com/0IxUByqtWk

— AZ State Climate (@AZStateClimate) August 1, 2024

Phoenix set the previous record in July 2023 with an average temperature of 102.7 degrees. The figure represents the average of the daily high temperatures and low temperatures for the month.

Phoenix almost reached its year-old record for hottest month

While Phoenix was surpassed by Needles, Arizona’s capital city didn’t go down without a fight. The average high temperature in Phoenix for the just-completed month was 101.1 degrees, giving the city back-to-back triple-digit Julys.

For added context, the normal average July temperature for Phoenix is 95.5 degrees, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Phoenix’s average high for July 2024 was 112.3 degrees, and the average low was 89.8, both more than 5 degrees above normal.

How hot will it be in early part of August?

Although July is now in the rearview mirror, the new month is coming in hot.

“We’re looking at temperatures well above normal … as we head into the beginning of August,” Ryan Worley, meteorologist with the NWS in Phoenix, told KTAR News 92.3 FM early Thursday.

After an expected high in the normal range of about 106 degrees on Thursday, the Valley forecast calls for temperatures reaching 110-115 degrees in the coming days.

In fact, the NWS has issued an excessive heat watch across metro Phoenix for Saturday and Sunday.

“In terms of temperatures, we’re looking at highs in the Phoenix area approaching 115 degrees for both Saturday and Sunday,” Worley said. “Elsewhere, even further outside the central Phoenix area, temperatures are still going to approach 110 degrees.”

A watch is a step below a warning in NWS parlance and means an excessive heat event is expected in the coming 1-3 days. It’s not uncommon for watches to be changed to warnings closer to the start of the dangerous period.

Watch or warning, Arizona’s summer heat can pose serious health risks. Through last week, Maricopa County health officials confirmed 37 heat-related deaths in 2024.

People who have to spend time outdoors during periods of excessive heat should stay hydrated, apply sunscreen to exposed skin, wear loose-fit clothing and take frequent breaks in the shade, according to experts.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Jim Cross contributed to this report.

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