If the Phoenix area has felt unusually hot to you this summer, you aren’t alone. In fact, summer 2020 has officially been the hottest the Valley of the Sun has ever seen! Here’s everything you need to know, including a few of the culprits behind the sweltering temperatures.

July was a record-breaking month in Phoenix, with temperatures hotter than ever before -- that is until August rolled around.
Flickr/Kevin Stuart
August 2020 was officially the hottest month on record since 1896, when temperature tracking began.
August is typically cooler than July, so last month's heat was truly unprecedented.
Flickr/Ronnie Scotch Finger
In fact, the scorching temperatures caused this summer to be the hottest ever documented in the Valley of the Sun.
The average high temperature in August was nearly 111 degrees.
Flickr/saturnism
For over 50 days straight this summer, it was at least 110 degrees in the Phoenix area. This greatly surpassed the previous record of 33 days set in 2011.

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Experts say the unusually hot temperatures are due in part to a drier-than-normal monsoon season.
Flickr/Jerry Ferguson
Rainfall has a cooling effect, so the lack thereof allowed the heat to spiral out of control.
Average temperatures are also on a steady incline because of climate change.
Flickr/glasseyes view
Not just in Arizona, but across much of the Southwest, as well, this summer has seen extraordinary heat.
Something called the "heat island" effect also contributes to higher-than-average temps in Phoenix.
Flickr/Lubomír Walder
Asphalt in the city absorbs heat from the sun, driving afternoon temperatures up much higher than in rural areas.
From June through August, the average temperature in Phoenix was 96.7 degrees.
Flickr/Shawn Lyman
The previous record was 95.1 degrees, achieved in both 2013 and 2015. Above-normal temperatures are expected to persist throughout the rest of September, raising concern for more heat-related deaths (which are already the #1 cause of death from a natural disaster in the U.S.)

Have you felt the record heat this summer? Let us know your thoughts, and check out our previous article to learn what winter could have in store for us: You’ll Love These Predictions For A Cold, But Less Snowy Winter In Arizona By The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

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