Phoenix streak of record daily heat ends after 3 weeks, cooler temperatures on way
Oct 15, 2024, 5:21 PM

Phoenix's daily streak of record heat ended on Oct. 15, 2024. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
PHOENIX – After three weeks of unprecedented high temperatures, Phoenix’s streak of daily record heat finally came to an end Tuesday.
The temperature at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, which the National Weather Service (NWS) uses for the city’s official readings, peaked at 99 degrees, short of the Oct. 15 record of 103 degrees.
It was the first time Phoenix didn’t tie or break the daily heat record since Sept. 24 and the first day under 100 degrees since Sept. 22. Until now, the city had never reached heat records for more than seven consecutive days.
“It’s pretty unprecedented,” Gabriel Lojero of the NWS in Phoenix told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday morning.
With record heat done, it’s time for a cooldown
Not only is Phoenix done with record heat and triple-digit temperatures for the time being, but Arizona’s capital city also is in for some actual fall-like conditions for the first time this year.
Temperatures are expected to gradually cool for a few days, with highs still in the 90s, until a strong storm system moves into the Valle on Friday, Lojero said.
“Temperatures are going to cool down even further,” he said. “By Saturday, we may struggle to reach 80 degrees for a high here in Phoenix. Most areas will likely stay in the 70s.”
Another streak could come to an end soon. The system could bring Phoenix its first measurable rain since Aug. 22 that day, a stretch of nearly two full months.
The best upcoming chance for rain is on Friday. However, it won’t be a deluge, Lojero said.
“We’re not expecting anything too tremendous in terms of significant rainfall, just enough to wet the ground,” he said.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Jim Cross contributed to this report.