Daytime desert heat is blasting much of the U.S. Southwest, but some monsoon rain spelled brief weekend relief for the city of Phoenix.
The National Weather Service in Phoenix reported the low temperature dipped around dawn Sunday to 79 Fahrenheit after an overnight storm dumped about 1.7 inches of rain in that metro area. The monsoon rain came after Saturday night’s low of 93 degrees in Phoenix had tied a city record set last year of 35 overnight lows in the 90s.
Phoenix experienced 84 days in a row at 100 degrees or hotter with Sunday's high of 102.
National Weather Service meteorologist Isaac Smith said he doesn't see any immediately break in 100-degree days as an excessive heat watch has been posted for Phoenix for the next few days.
“We’re looking at 112 degrees Monday and 114 on Tuesday,” Smith said.
Gabriel Lojero, another meteorologist, said the high temperatures can be dangerous “because your body doesn’t get sufficient overnight cooling and the chance to recuperate.”
The impact of a blistering Southwest summer was already being reflected in the number of heat-related deaths.
As of Aug. 10, public health officials in Maricopa County had confirmed 96 heat-related deaths for 2024 thus far, with another 462 deaths under investigation for heat causes. The county of some 4.5 million people has reported 645 heat-related deaths for 2023.
The Medical Examiner’s Office in Pima County — home to Tucson — said that as of the start of August, it had confirmed 99 heat-related deaths in that county and four other small rural ones in Arizona that contract for its forensic services.
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Phoenix continues to set heat records this summer, but other communities have also seen an increase in the impacts of extreme heat. Sara Meerow, an associate professor in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at ASU, says says there's been dramatic increase in the level of interest across all kinds of communities worldwide in taking this issue on. -
A 3-year-old girl died after being left in a vehicle in Buckeye on Sunday. She is the third child known to have died in a hot car in Arizona this summer. -
As we get further into September, residents should still brace for the heat. Weather forecasts from the National Weather Service show temperatures remaining high. -
With triple digit temperatures lingering into September, officials are tasked with making sure high school football players can compete safely. -
The Valley’s major homeless services organization is extending its Thirst Aid water donation events for an extra month.
