There it is! Phoenix has now experienced its 144th day this year with a high temperature of 100°F or greater, reaching 100°F at 2:37 PM MST this afternoon. This beats the previous record of 143 days set in 1989. #azwx pic.twitter.com/UbKLHSnw6e
— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) October 14, 2020
Last year was a record breaker for heat in Phoenix. There were a total of 145 days of high temperatures reaching at least 100 degrees.
Experts see that trend continuing in 2021.
Last year’s record occurred in the middle of October and broke the previous mark set in 1989.
New York University urban studies professor Andrew Ross said unless something changes there will come a point when the thermometer won’t drop below 100 degrees at night. “The increases in temperature in the Southwest and Phoenix in particular is in the bullseye of climate warming. It’s heating up and drying out faster than anywhere else in the hemisphere.”
Ross’s assertions are reinforced by experts at the National Weather Service in Flagstaff, which recently released its wildfire season outlook for this year.
According to the Associated Press, “Forecasters say conditions and indicators add up to above-normal fire threats by April at lower elevations from southeastern Arizona to Yavapai County and similar threats spreading north along the Mogollon Rim by May.”
