Phoenix’s record streak of 100-degree days nears end after making it through weekend

PHOENIX – The record-shattering streak of 100-degree days in Phoenix continued through the weekend after an anticipated storm system failed to reach the Valley.

However, the city’s unprecedented stretch of triple-digit temperatures is running out of steam after reaching 112 days on Sunday.

“We have much cooler air coming in tonight and into tomorrow, so our highs during the day tomorrow are expected to be around 93, 94,” Chris Kuhlman, meteorologist for the National Weather Service (NWS) in Phoenix, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday.

Monday’s forecast calls for a high of 100 degrees at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, which the NWS uses for the city’s official readings. Valley residents also can expect windy conditions in the afternoon, with gusts of around 25-30 mph.

Looking ahead, thermometers are expected to peak in the 90s for the rest of the week, with mostly sunny skies. In addition, Phoenix is in line to see its first overnight temperatures in the 60s since May 22.

“Starting tonight, our lows will probably be in the upper 60s for much of the Valley, maybe lower 70s in central Phoenix,” Kuhlman said Monday. “But then middle part of the week, I think almost the entire area should be in the 60s.”

However, Phoenix isn’t yet done with triple-digit temperatures in 2024. In fact, the forecast high for Sunday is 102 degrees.

“So, it will warm back up, but we’re not going to be seeing 110 degrees at least the rest of the year,” Kuhlman said.

Why have there been so many consecutive hot days in Phoenix?

The current 100-degree streak in Phoenix has obliterated the previous record of 76 consecutive days in 1993 by more than a month.

Kuhlman said a dearth of significant storms this monsoon season allowed the triple-digit temperatures to keep coming without a break.

For example, thunderstorms developed in the Globe area in Pinal County on Sunday but didn’t move west as expected.

“The moisture stayed to the east of Phoenix, and that’s the way it goes sometimes,” Kuhlman said.

Sky Harbor hasn’t seen any measurable rain since 0.24 inches fell on Aug. 22. That pushed the total for the 2024 monsoon season, which runs annually from June 15 to Sept. 30, to 0.74 inches.

It’s an improvement from the record-dry 2023 monsoon accumulation of 0.15 inches, but it’s still far short of the typical seasonal total of 2-3 inches.

“We didn’t have the good monsoon moisture this year,” Kuhlman said. “We didn’t have just that one day where we had a lot of storm activity and a lot of moisture come in.”

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Jim Cross contributed to this report.

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