Posted in Arizona September 02, 2020 by

In A Record-Breaking Heat Wave, Phoenix, Arizona Has Been Over 110 Degrees For 50 Straight Days

As if we didn’t already know how sweltering Arizona can be, it just got official. Friday, August 28 was the 50th straight day of at least 110-degree temperatures, and a heatwave quite like this has never been seen before in the Grand Canyon State.

We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. While we’re continuing to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. We believe that supporting local attractions is important now more than ever and we hope our articles inspire your future adventures! And on that note, please nominate your favorite local business that could use some love right now: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nominate/
As of Friday, August 28, the Valley reached at least 110 degrees for 50 consecutive days. The previous record of 33 days was set back in 2011.
[FangXiaNuo] / [E+] via Getty Images
August 9 was the day Phoenix officially surpassed the nearly decade-old record. On Friday afternoon, the 50th day, it was 111 degrees at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. What a scorcher!
Flickr/redlegsfan21
Unrelenting high pressure is to blame for the heatwave. High pressure leads to warmer-than-average temperatures, which were made even worse by an unusually dry summer.
Flickr/John Fowler
Phoenix normally relies on monsoons to cool things down, but they've been few-and-far-between. The city has received under four inches of rainfall since 2020 began.
Flickr/Petrified ForestNPS - Stewart Holmes
Luckily, thunderstorms over the weekend provided some relief. It was 77 degrees in the late evening of August 30!
Flickr/j_arred
Experts say the concrete and asphalt in urban areas like Phoenix soak up heat from the sun. This is referred to as the "heat-island" effect, which exists to a much lesser degree in undeveloped regions.
Flickr/(matt)
According to the National Weather Service, Phoenix is, on average, three degrees hotter during the summer months than it was in the 1970s. Can you feel the difference?
Flickr/Kiyonobu Ito

How do you feel about this unprecedented heatwave? Let us know, and check out our previous article for ways to stay cool until fall arrives: Beat The Heat This Summer With These 12 Awesome Arizona Activities.

Address: Phoenix, AZ, USA