Phoenix sets another daily heat record with hottest day of 2023

PHOENIX — The streak of 110-degree days isn’t the only heat record being broken in Phoenix.

The hottest day of the year happened Wednesday when the temperature reached 119 degrees at 2:42 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

It’s the hottest day in Arizona’s capital city since June 20, 2017.

🌡️ With a high temperature of 119° and a low temperature of 97°, a new all-time record daily average temperature of 108° has been established at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. This smashes the previous of 106.5° set on 6/26/90. #azwx

— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) July 19, 2023

Also, the mercury reached 117 degrees at 1:06 p.m., making it the hottest July 19 recorded in city history.

The previous record of 116 degrees had stood since 1989.

It was the second consecutive day for a daily heat record. Phoenix reached 118 degrees on Tuesday, shattering the previous mark by three degrees and tying the old record heat day of the year.

How long will this extraordinary heat wave continue?

The city remains in a brutal heat wave, with Wednesday also being the 20th consecutive day of 110-plus temperatures.

An excessive heat warning, which has been in effect since July 1, was extended through Saturday.

The low temperature Wednesday morning was 97 degrees, the highest low ever recorded in Phoenix.

The previous warm low was 96 degrees on July 15, 2003.

Wednesday was the third time in the last seven days with a low temperature of 95 degrees or hotter in Phoenix, according to the National Weather Service. Previously, there were only six days ever documented with lows in that range.

In addition, Phoenix’s ongoing streak of daily lows of at least 90 degrees stretched to 10 consecutive days, three days longer than the previous record.

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