Phoenix hits 117 degrees, breaks two heat records for June 21
Jun 21, 2017, 7:10 PM | Updated: Jun 22, 2017, 11:29 am
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
PHOENIX — Wednesday in Phoenix started out breaking a daily heat record and signed off by breaking another.
The National Weather Service said the Valley of the Sun topped out at 117 degrees, beating the old record of 115 that was set in 1968 and matched in 2008.
Its happening again! The mercury keeps rising in #Phoenix. Stay hydrated #azwx pic.twitter.com/gUbkE6zDof
— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) June 21, 2017
But as we said, it wasn’t just the high that set a daily record. The overnight low of 90 degrees beat the record of 89 degrees, set last year.
The low temperature this morning at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport was 90°. This will break the record high minimum of 89°, set just last year.
— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) June 21, 2017
The mercury also hit 100 degrees at 8:42 a.m., which was a few minutes earlier than Tuesday.
Ahead of yesterday's pace. It's 100° already in Phoenix. #azwx pic.twitter.com/83GXD8LAxL
— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) June 21, 2017
Tuesday was even hotter than Wednesday. The weather service reported a high of 119 degrees — a daily heat record in itself — but it fell short of the all-time record of 122 set in 1990.
Outflow from an eastern-Arizona monsoon storm from Monday night may have helped keep the Valley below the all-time record. Still, 119 is the fourth-hottest day in Phoenix’s history.
The weather service has issued an excessive heat warning for the rest of the week. Meteorologist Paul Iniguez said it was important Arizonans continue to drink plenty of water and avoid the outdoors during the hottest part of the day, if possible.
“It’s important that people continue to keep up their activities of helping to mitigate the heat in whatever aspect — whatever works for them,” he said.
KTAR’s Martha Maurer contributed to this report.
