Weekend could bring Phoenix’s last wave of excessive heat for a while

PHOENIX — An excessive heat warning will be in effect for metro Phoenix this weekend, with record temperatures in the short-term forecast.

However, “it’s more than likely” the region will soon see its last 110-degree day of the year, according to the National Weather Service.

The excessive heat warning is set to run from 10 a.m. Saturday to 8 p.m. Sunday, and it will be almost as hot Friday and Monday.

Multiple Phoenix heat records are expected to fall in the coming days, including the mark for most 110-degree days in a year.

Phoenix entered Friday with 52 days of at least 110 degrees in 2023, one short of the record set in 2020.

Very hot temperatures will be seen through Monday across southern AZ & southeast CA with highs peaking this weekend as most lower desert areas top 110°F. An Excessive Heat Warning is in effect for Sat & Sun. Fortunately, some cooling will be seen by mid next week. #azwx #cawx pic.twitter.com/wV1GYaXPYM

— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) September 8, 2023

The record was equaled Friday when Phoenix hit 110 degrees at 2:46 p.m. It could be broken on Saturday and extended Sunday and possibly Monday.

In fact, Phoenix was expected to set daily high marks Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

When will Phoenix get break from excessive heat?

While the Valley has had more than its share of extreme heat in 2023, there’s a good chance Sunday or Monday will be Phoenix’s last 110-degree day until next year.

“It’s going to be very difficult to get to 110 beyond this current heat streak,” Chris Kuhlman of the National Weather Service in Phoenix told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Friday morning.

“So, I hate to say, ‘Yes, this will be the last,’ but it’s more than likely that will be the case, this will be our last stretch of 110s this summer.”

Although temperatures are expected to dip next week (yet still in the 100s), the dry conditions will likely persist. There’s a slight chance for showers early in the week, but nothing else resembling rain in the forecast.

“We do have a moisture increase starting Monday into Tuesday, but right now it’s a pretty limited chance, like a 10-20% chance in the Phoenix area on Tuesday,” Kuhlman said.

Sky Harbor International Airport, which the National Weather Service uses for Phoenix’s official readings, has seen just .13 inches of rain during what’s on pace to be the city’s driest monsoon season (June 15-Sept. 30) on record. The previous low was .35 inches in 1924.

Phoenix heat records are nothing new in 2023

It’s been a summer full of extreme heat in Phoenix, including a record stretch of 31 consecutive 110-degree days from June 30 to July 30. The previous mark was 18 days in 1974.

That streak made July in Phoenix the hottest month ever documented in a U.S. city, according to the Arizona State Climate Office.

More recently, Phoenix broke the record for hottest “meteorological summer” (July-August) with an average temperature of 97 degrees. That beat the previous mark of 96.7 degrees set in 2020.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs in mid-August declared a state of emergency following more than a month of extreme heat statewide.

Hobbs said then that the declaration would allow the state to reimburse various government entities for funds spent on providing relief from high temperatures.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Jim Cross and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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