Phoenix breaks daily temperature record for 2nd straight day as heat wave continues

PHOENIX — No, this isn’t a prank: Phoenix has broken a 35-year-old daily heat record for the second consecutive day.

The mercury reached 109 degrees at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, which the National Weather Service (NWS) uses for the city’s official readings, at 1:15 p.m., besting the previous daily record for Sept. 26 of 108 degrees from 1989. The high for the day ended up at 110 degrees.

Also not a prank: This likely won’t be the last time this week for a new daily heat record.

Why did Phoenix break daily heat record again?

The highs in Phoenix are normally 96-97 degrees this time of year, but not in 2024.

The forecast calls for highs of at least 110 degrees through Sunday, with new Phoenix temperature records expected each day at least through Tuesday.

Saturday is expected to be the hottest of the upcoming hot days, with a forecast high of 114 degrees, a whopping 6 degrees above the existing record for the date.

It reached 113 degrees Wednesday. Until then, it had never reached 110 degrees in Phoenix after Sept. 19, per NWS records.

Is Phoenix under an excessive heat warning?

Phoenix is under an excessive heat warning that is scheduled to last until next week.

The excessive heat warning for the low deserts of central and southwestern Arizona was scheduled to run until 8 p.m. Sunday but was extended until 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

Per city of Phoenix policy, the Echo Canyon and Cholla trails at Camelback Mountain and all Piestewa Peak trails are closed from 9 a.m. to 5 a.m. on days when excessive heat warnings are in effect.

How hot has Phoenix been this year?

Phoenix temperature records are nothing new in 2024. Through Thursday, the city already set a standard for most days of at least 110 degrees in a year at 63 and counting. The old mark was 55 days in 2023.

Phoenix also endured a record-shattering 113-day streak of temperatures reaching triple digits, which finally ended last week.

And if that’s not enough, Phoenix’s 2024 “meteorological summer” (June-August) was the hottest on record, with an average temperature of 98.9 degrees.

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