The first two months of meteorological summer in Phoenix have been the 18th-hottest on record for the city. A brutal heat wave that rolled in this week is expected to linger into the weekend, boosting August's average temperature, too. It is yet another example of an extreme heat event that Phoenix is forced to endure.
Dangerous heat will be building in the western U.S. during the middle of the week. Some of the hottest temperatures will target southern Arizona, including Phoenix and its surrounding suburbs. An extreme heat warning has been posted for the city starting at 10 a.m. Wednesday and continuing to 8 p.m. Friday.
"An Extreme Heat Warning means that a period of very hot temperatures, even by local standards, will occur," reads the warning statement issued by the Phoenix National Weather Service office. "Heat-related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat events. Overexposure can cause heat cramps and heat exhaustion to develop and, without intervention, can lead to heat stroke."
Phoenix is expected to hit highs of 110 degrees or hotter from Wednesday through Sunday.
These prolonged stretches of scorching temperatures are becoming more common not only in Phoenix but in several cities across the country, according to a recent study. Climate Central, a nonprofit, recently did an analysis to examine how extreme heat streaks are changing for 247 U.S. cities. It defined an extreme heat risk as "a period of three or more consecutive days with maximum temperatures exceeding the 90th percentile of each location's daily maximum temperatures during the 1991-2020 normal period."
Our warming world is supercharging extreme heat events. Climate Central found that 80% of the cities it studied have seen an increase in multiday extreme heat streaks since 1970. The average increase for these 198 cities is two more extreme heat streaks each year compared to what they experienced in the early 1970s. The average annual streaks when Phoenix reaches a high of 108 degrees or more have jumped from three in the 1970s to five between 2020 and 2024.
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"We're seeing what happens when climate extremes collide with growing cities and aging infrastructure," climate scientist Zachary Labe with Climate Central told The Weather Channel. "The choices we make now will shape how livable these places are in the decades to come."
The health risks from prolonged periods of extreme heat are well-documented. Officials in Maricopa County, where Phoenix is located, have reported 35 confirmed heat-related deaths so far this year. The death toll caused by heat has spiked over the past couple of years in Phoenix. There were 61 heat-related deaths reported in 2014, but there were nearly 10 times that number reported in both 2023 and 2024.
Extreme heat is affecting nearly every part of daily life in Arizona, straining agriculture, transportation, and the state's power grid. "Extreme heat often interacts with and worsens other climate-related problems," added Labe, per The Weather Channel. "Longer heat waves can dry out soils, intensify drought conditions, and increase the risk of wildfires."
The heat is also taking a toll on tourists in several Southwest states. Nevada implemented a seasonal safety measure at its Valley of Fire State Park, closing some of its popular trails from May 15 through Oct. 1. "Extreme heat and hazardous weather conditions have contributed to numerous search and rescue operations in past seasons," according to park officials.
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Yes — often 😬 Lake Mead, on the border between Nevada and Arizona, also has annual seasonal trail closures because of hazardous heat. The Lake Mead National Recreation Area had to close additional trails in June after one hiker succumbed to the heat and another 33 had to be rescued.
A family had to be rescued by the Phoenix Fire Department in late June after several children couldn't complete a hike on the Holbert Trail at South Mountain because of the heat. Five mountain rescue teams responded because of the size of the family, which consisted of five adults and six children.
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