As summer ends, Phoenix breaks heat record with 113 consecutive days over 100°F

Record ID: 1843359

  • Title: As summer ends, Phoenix breaks heat record with 113 consecutive days over 100°F
  • Date: 23rd September 2024
  • Summary: PHOENIX, ARIZONA, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 18, 2024) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SUNSET DRONE VIEW (MUTE) (SOUNDBITE) (English) MATT SALERNO, METEOROLOGIST AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PHOENIX OFFICE, SAYING: “We just had a record streak of 100 degree days that ended a couple of days ago at 113 days straight with highs at or above 100 degrees in Phoenix. And that was very sign
  • Embargoed: 7th October 2024 10:52
  • Keywords: ARIZONA CLIMATE CHANGE HEAT HEATWAVE
  • Location: PHOENIX, ARIZONA, UNITED STATES
  • City: PHOENIX, ARIZONA, UNITED STATES
  • Country: US
  • Topics: Environment,North America,Weather
  • Reuters ID: LVA001547719092024RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:As summer officially comes to an end, Phoenix residents in Arizona are finally experiencing cooler temperatures with the end of 113 consecutive days of temperatures reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 Celsius) or higher.
    The streak broke the previous record of 76 days set in 1993.
    Matt Salerno, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Phoenix Office, said the summer's extreme weather was significant.
    “We had the hottest meteorological summer on record in Phoenix and we broke the previous record, which was set last year in 2023 by almost two degrees. So we had the hottest June on record with the second hottest July on record and the third hottest August on record. So the combination of all those three months averaged out to the hottest meteorological summer on record in Phoenix,” he said.
    Last summer, Phoenix made international headlines during July, a month in which temperatures surpassed 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 Celsius) for 31-days straight.
    Erinanne Saffell, Director at the Arizona State Climate Office, said that at the beginning of last century, Phoenix had on average about five days a year with 110 degrees or higher. “Now, looking at the last five years, we're on an average of 40 days of 110 degrees or higher,” Saffell said.
    She also said Arizona has seen a 60% increase in acreage affected by wildfires compared to last year, highlighting the connection between prolonged heat and environmental challenges.
    (Production: Liliana Salgado)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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