PHOENIX — The Valley is sizzling with the hottest start to October ever!
Our Excessive Heat Warning remains in effect for the Phoenix metro area and most of central and western Arizona through 8 p.m. Friday.
So, we remain in ABC15 Weather Action mode as a reminder to take action 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 through this first week of October as Valley highs top out between 108 to 113 degrees.
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 on Friday.
Thankfully, our nights are getting longer, so we do not anticipate any 90-degree lows. Overnight temperatures will drop into the low to mid 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.
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 weekend of October 12th.
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" (-0.83" 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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