August is already off to a much hotter-than-average start in Phoenix. July was hotter-than-normal, too.
If you thought last month felt cooler than the last couple of Julys, you were right. July 2023 and July 2024 were the hottest two months ever recorded in Phoenix. The average temperature for July 2023 was a record-shattering 102.7 degrees. Last year, the July average was 101.1 degrees.
This year, July’s average was 96.9 degrees — cooler than recent Julys but still 1.4 degrees hotter than normal, according to the National Weather Service. In fact, last month ranks as Phoenix’s ninth-hottest July on record.
Part of the reason monthly average temperatures have been so far above normal during the last few summers is because overnight low temperatures have become much hotter than they have been historically. Meteorological experts say nighttime warming is a clear marker of human-caused climate change. Since the 1990s, Phoenix has averaged seven nights per year when the temperature does not drop below 90 degrees. As of Monday, 12 nights this year have already been in the 90s.
Daytime highs have been hotter-than-normal this summer, too. Phoenix typically sees about 21 days per year with temperatures at or above 110 degrees. As of Monday, Phoenix has already had 24 days that hot, with many more 110-degree days in the forecast.
Extreme temperatures come with public health consequences. So far this year, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health has confirmed 22 heat-related deaths. Another 314 deaths are under investigation. Heat has also been a factor in more than 1,700 hospital visits in Maricopa County so far this year, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
