Metro Phoenix hits 100 degrees for 2nd time this year
May 15, 2019, 4:34 AM | Updated: Jun 18, 2019, 12:10 pm
(AP photo)
PHOENIX — The Valley reached triple-digit temperatures this week for the second time so far this year.
The National Weather Service in Phoenix said the Valley hit the 100-degree mark around 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday.
The last — and only — time the Valley saw triple digits in 2019 was on April 26.
Chris Kuhlman with the National Weather Service told KTAR News 92.3 FM that the normal high temperature this time of year is 94 degrees, “so we keep climbing up a degree every three days or so.”
As of 345 PM, Phoenix has hit 100° for only the 2nd time this year!#AZwx pic.twitter.com/157WEtNO4o
— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) May 15, 2019
But the heat isn’t expected to stick around long: A weather system and a cold front that are expected to move through the area will bring the high temperatures down to the 80s by Friday.
Here’s your 7-day forecast via @IrisABC15, Arizona’s most accurate forecast. Tune in to @AZMorningNews for the latest weather news: https://t.co/yZGKvZYxqd pic.twitter.com/vXwjjTV2IR
— KTAR News 92.3 (@KTAR923) May 15, 2019
Jessica Rigler with Arizona Department of Helath Services told KTAR News that every year in Arizona, there are thousands of emergency room visits due to heat-related illness.
“It’s an important time to remind folks that it’s important to take precautions during the summertime and times of extreme heat,” she said.
“Last year alone, we had over 3,000 people visit the emergency room and, unfortunately, over 100 people die every hear due to heat-related illness in Arizona.”
Rigler said it is important for people to drink water before they start to feel thirsty in order to stave off heat-related illness.
The city recorded triple digits 16 days later than last year, when Phoenix hit 100 degrees on April 10. In 2017, Phoenix reached 100 on May 3.
On average from 1981 to 2010, Phoenix marked its first 100 degree day on May 2. That’s up from the average since 1896 of May 11.
According to the National Weather Service, the earliest Phoenix has ever hit 100 degrees was March 26, in 1988. The latest was June 18, 1913.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Jim Cross and Amy Phol contributed to this report.