Winter warm-up: Phoenix breaks 84-year-old daily heat record on Tuesday

PHOENIX — The hot season is over but heat records are still falling in Phoenix as an 84-year-old daily mark was shattered on Tuesday.

Phoenix reached a new high for the date by hitting 82 degrees at Sky Harbor International Airport, which the National Weather Service uses for the city’s official readings, at 1:36 p.m. The mark was pushed to 83 degrees later in the afternoon.

The previous record for Dec. 3 was 81 degrees set in 1940.

Daily heat record: Why is it so hot in Phoenix in December?

Matt Salerno, an NWS meteorologist, explained that a persistent “blocking pattern” over the western U.S. and eastern Pacific Ocean is elevating temperatures and keeping the region dry.

The highs in Phoenix are typically in the upper 60s in early December. However, the month is starting off with a stretch of temperatures about 10 degrees above normal.

“We’re going to be consistently staying at well above normal as we head through the remainder of this work week,” Salerno said Monday.

Highs are expected to remain in the mid-70s for the rest of the week, according to NWS.

Low temperatures are expected to remain in the low 50s, but Tuesday likely tied a daily record as well.

The low for Tuesday in Phoenix has been 55 degrees, which was also set in 1944.

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

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