The summer that never ended: Phoenix gets a break after 3 weeks of record highs

Phoenix has broken all types of heat records, including some for the nation. And it's not the only place in the West.

Phoenix is hot—everyone knows that. But this summer and fall, the city, like many other cities in the West, set record after record for high temperatures.

Between Sept. 23 and Oct. 14, Phoenix set new daily record high temperatures for 21 consecutive days. The previous record for the entire country was 14 days in Burlington, Iowa, during the Dust Bowl in 1936.

The city's hospitals have been busy trying to keep up with spikes in heat-related illnesses and burn units overrun with "contact heat" injuries as roadways top 160 degrees in the city. The heat kills hundreds of people each year in Maricopa County, home to Phoenix, and this year is no exception.

As Phoenix bakes, so does the West

It's not just Phoenix. Los Angeles recorded its third-highest daily high temperature on Sept. 6. Napa, California, which should be in the low 80s in early October, was over 100 on five of the first seven days of the month.

Through late September, more than 500 daily high-temperature records were set in the western United States. A total of 15 stations had never recorded higher temperatures during September, including Ajo, Arizona, at 118 degrees and Tempe, Arizona, at 115 degrees.

On Oct. 1, Palm Springs, California, hit 117 degrees, a new high-temperature record for the entire month—not only for that station but for the entire United States. Death Valley, California, was 114 that day, a new monthly record as well. Death Valley had the hottest summer on record, and with it, two people perished in the heat.

Climate connection

NOAA says heat waves are occurring more often than they used to in major cities across the United States. In the 1960s, the average city could expect two heat waves per year, but now it will suffer through more than six per year.

We may not yet know the extent of the recent heat in context with history. October's total record numbers are not yet available, nor is the September national climate report, because NOAA's office in Asheville, North Carolina, was cut off from the world during Hurricane Helene and has not been able to transmit much of its weather data since Sept. 27.

What's the forecast?

Fortunately, the heat wave is over, at least for the short term. AccuWeather Regional Expert Dave Houk says temperatures Thursday afternoon will be 90 degrees in Phoenix, close to the historical average, but a dramatic shift to cool weather will come Friday.

"Temperatures on Friday in Phoenix will be held back close to 80 and could be down in the middle 70s pending the timing of clouds and rain. This stretch of the coolest weather since April will continue Saturday with comfortable, dry weather for outdoor plans and high temperatures in the middle 70s," Houk says.

The last day Phoenix had a high temperature below 80 was April 15.

"As another dome of high pressure takes over, this shot of cool air will start to fade Sunday and especially Monday," Houk explained. "Temperatures Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will reach at least the middle 90s with the chance to reach 100 again on Wednesday."