Phoenix daily heat record streak broken, but 110-degree streak rolls on
Jul 21, 2023, 5:22 PM
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
PHOENIX — Phoenix didn’t break a daily heat record for the first time in four days on Friday, but 110 degrees was once again hit.
Arizona’s capital city topped out at 117 degrees, just missing out on the July 21 record of 118 degrees.
Phoenix had hit 119 degrees each of the past two days, the two hottest of 2023.
How much longer will Phoenix see 110 degrees?
Friday was the 22nd day in a row with temperatures of at least 110, extending a record set earlier this week.
The highs are expected to dip a few degrees after Friday as moisture levels rise — but still remain above 110 for the foreseeable future.
Is rain coming?
Phoenix last saw measurable rain on March 22, 120 days ago as of Thursday.
It’s the city’s sixth-longest streak without rain, per National Weather Service data that dates back to 1896.
That could change as soon as this weekend.
“Looks like our best chances are Sunday, around 20-25% chance, and then Monday around a 15% chance, and then primarily 10% or less chance going through the middle of next week,” Alex Young, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Friday morning.
While it’s possible that Phoenix goes dry for June and July for just the second time ever, the record for the longest streak without rain appears safe.
“If we wanted to be number one, we’d have to go basically all the way through August with no rain,” Young said. “So, very unlikely that’ll happen.”