Phoenix's daily heat record was broken for the second day in a row

PHOENIX – No, this isn't a prank: Phoenix broke a 35-year-old daily heat record for the second day in a row.

At Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, which the National Weather Service (NWS) uses for the city's official readings, the mercury reached 109 degrees at 1:15 p.m., surpassing the previous September 26 daily record of 108 degrees set in 1989.

Also no joke: It probably won't be the last time this week that there is a new daily heat record.

Why did Phoenix break the daily heat record again?

Highs in Phoenix this time of year are typically 96-97 degrees, but not in 2024.

The forecast calls for high temperatures of at least 110 degrees through Sunday, with new temperature records expected in Phoenix every day through at least Tuesday.

Saturday is expected to be the hottest of the upcoming hot days, with a forecast high of 114 degrees, a whopping 6 degrees above the existing record for the day.

It reached 113 degrees on Wednesday. Until then, it had never reached 110 degrees in Phoenix after Sept. 19, according to NWS records.

Is there an excessive heat warning in Phoenix?

An excessive heat warning is in effect for Phoenix and is expected to last through the weekend.

The excessive heat warning for the low deserts of central and southwestern Arizona is scheduled to remain in effect until 8 p.m. Sunday.

In accordance with City of Phoenix guidelines, the Echo Canyon and Cholla trails on Camelback Mountain and all trails on Piestewa Peak will be closed from 9 a.m. to 5 a.m. on days when excessive heat warnings are in effect.

How hot was Phoenix this year?

Temperature records in Phoenix are nothing new in 2024. As of Wednesday, the city has set a standard of at least 110 degrees most days of the year with 62 and above. The old mark was 55 days in 2023.

Phoenix also experienced a record-breaking 113 days of triple-digit temperature increases that finally ended last week.

And that's not all: the “meteorological summer” of 2024 (June-August) in Phoenix was the hottest since records began, with an average temperature of 98.9 degrees.

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