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ARIZONA WEATHER NEWS

Another triple digit day in Phoenix shatters 40-year heat record

Phoenix shattered a 40-year-old heat record this afternoon, reaching 102 degrees and blowing past the previous March 27 record set in 1986.

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PHOENIX — Phoenix shattered a 40-year-old heat record Friday, reaching 102 degrees and blowing past the previous March 27 record of 98 set in 1986 by 4 degrees.

Temperatures climbed steadily throughout the day, rising from the low 70s in the morning, breaking the old record at 1:35 p.m. until peaking at 102 degrees.

It was the ninth record-breaking day out of the last 10 in an unprecedented March heat wave that began March 18. The streak has included three days at 105 from March 19 to 21, the hottest March temperatures ever recorded in Phoenix, and now nine triple-digit days during a month in which the city had previously reached 100 only once, in 1988.

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The lone miss came Thursday, when the high of 99 fell one degree short of the March 26 record of 100.

The normal high for late March in Phoenix is about 80 degrees. Friday’s reading exceeded that by more than 20 degrees.

Are cooler temperatures coming next week?

The National Weather Service said highs will remain in the mid-to-upper 90s through the weekend. A wind advisory is in effect from 11 p.m. Friday to 11 a.m. Saturday as gusty easterly winds of 25 to 30 mph sweep across the area. The stronger winds are expected to bring some relief, with temperatures dropping back into the 80s by midweek.

David Iversen is a Phoenix-based journalist and digital content editor. He has covered local politics, national investigations and everything in between for FOX, The New York Times, Business Insider and other outlets. His work includes DuPont-winning… Read more

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