PHOENIX — The Valley is sizzling with the hottest start to October ever!
Our Excessive Heat Warning has been extended again and is now in effect all the way through 8 p.m. Monday for the Phoenix metro area, as well as central, western and southwestern Arizona.
So, we remain in ABC15 Weather Action mode as a reminder to take action to stay safe in these dangerously hot temperatures. Stay hydrated, limit time outside in the afternoon hours and never leave kids or pets in the car no matter how quick the errand.
This heat wave is shattering records and that will continue as Valley highs top out between 107 to 110 degrees through at least early next week.
Average highs, which are considered "normal" for this time of year, are in the mid 90s, but Phoenix just marked the hottest day ever recorded in the month of October! Sky Harbor reached 113 degrees Tuesday afternoon, breaking the daily and monthly record of 107 degrees.
That also set another new record for the latest 110-degree day ever recorded in Phoenix. The previous record was September 19, 2010, but we have been breaking that record every day since last week and there's still a chance we could hit 110 again Friday or over the weekend.
Thankfully, our nights are getting longer, so we do not anticipate any 90-degree lows. Overnight temperatures will drop into the low 80s across the Valley, but even that's exceptionally warm for this time of year and new record-warm lows are possible each day this week.
Phoenix just set a new record warm low temperature for the month of October. Sky Harbor only dropped to 86 degrees Wednesday morning, breaking the daily record of 83 set in 1997 and the new record warm low for the month of 84 degrees which we just set on Tuesday morning.
Temperatures will gradually drop the week of October 7th, but highs could still be record-setting for the first half of that week, too.
Right now, it looks like we don't have a chance to drop out of the triple digits until the week of October 14th.
With La Niña building in the Pacific, it's likely that we'll continue to see warmer and drier-than-normal conditions through the fall and winter months.
Our drought has been getting worse lately with the hot and dry monsoon season we just had.
Phoenix only picked up 0.74 inches of rain this monsoon, which ties for the seventh driest monsoon on record. Our 30-year average (which is considered our normal amount of rain) is 2.43 inches. But, it's important to remember, that is a decrease from the previous 30-year average of 2.71 inches (from 1981-2010) as our Valley climate continues to get hotter and drier.
With an overall average temperature of 98.3 degrees, Monsoon 2024 was also the hottest monsoon ever recorded in Phoenix. That breaks the previous record of 96.9 degrees which we just set last year. All of the top 25 hottest monsoon seasons have occurred in the last 25 years.
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2024 Sky Harbor Official Rainfall to date: 4.54" (-0.87" from average)
Monsoon 2024 Sky Harbor Official Rainfall: 0.74" (-1.69" from average)
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Daily rainfall reports from all across the Valley can be found here.
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PHOENIX IS GETTING DRIER - LOWER RAINFALL AVERAGES NOW
Average Monsoon Rainfall in Phoenix (1981-2010): 2.71" of rain
NEW Average Monsoon Rainfall in Phoenix (1991-2020): 2.43" of rain
Average Yearly Rainfall in Phoenix (1981-2010): 8:03" of rain
NEW Average Yearly Rainfall in Phoenix (1991-2020): 7.22" of rain
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