The most popular month ever recorded in a U.S. metropolis now belongs to Phoenix.

The
capital of the Grand Canyon State noticed a median of 102.7 levels
Fahrenheit over the past 31 days, beating the earlier file of 102.2
levels, set in July 1996 about 200 miles west in Lake Havasu, Arizona. 

For
17 days in July, the warmth rose to or past 115 levels. On three of
them, it reached 119. The common excessive was 114.7 levels.

“The
motive why July was so scorching is we had that persistent and robust ridge of
excessive strain, plus we had a scarcity of thunderstorm exercise within the
Phoenix space, plus we had the city warmth island,” Arizona State
Climatologist Erinanne Saffell mentioned.

A ridge of high-pressure air
floating over Arizona has saved scorching air in place for the final month,
delaying the onset of monsoon rains that might in any other case cool issues
down. 

“The city warmth island is the asphalt, parking tons and
cement, holding onto all that warmth and releasing it very slowly,”
Saffell mentioned. “So our nighttime temperatures didn’t cool off.”

Night
and morning temperatures dipped beneath 90 levels solely 12 occasions; the
common low hovered round 90.8 levels, the Arizona State Local weather
workplace tweeted Tuesday. Phoenix set a file excessive minimal temperature on
July 19, when it by no means sank beneath 97 levels. That day’s excessive was 119
levels. 

“In order that was a depressing day,” Saffell mentioned. 

Phoenix’s
nationwide climate station at Sky Harbor Worldwide Airport recorded
no measurable precipitation all through the month, although Phoenix
residents took to Twitter on Wednesday to have a good time the primary monsoon rains of the season. 

As a result of
the storms town noticed final week didn’t drop at the very least 0.01 inches
inside the Sky Harbor climate station’s gauge, Saffell mentioned, it didn’t
depend as measurable precipitation. 

“We had a couple of traces, however it’s not measurable,” she mentioned. 

The town has now gone 132 days with out measurable rainfall — the fourth longest in its historical past.

“We
simply went by means of April, Might, June and now July with out measurable
precipitation at Sky Harbor,” Saffell mentioned. “That’s by no means occurred
earlier than.”

Meteorologists within the Phoenix and Tucson nationwide climate
providers predicted monsoon rains to fall over the weekend, however the
skies remained dry by means of Monday. Temperatures lowered, although, hitting
highs of solely 108 levels Monday and 107 levels Tuesday, August 1.
Tuesday’s low clocked in at 86 levels, just one diploma above regular,
based on the Nationwide Climate Service.

However the warmth is anticipated to return above 110 later within the week. The approaching weekend is already underneath an excessive heat watch for highs of 112 and 113, respectively. 

Phoenix set extra nationwide data all through July, the Nationwide Climate Service tweeted. 

Temperatures remained at or above 110 levels from June 29 by means of July 30, smashing a earlier file of solely 19 days at or above 110. Seventeen days at 115-plus levels broke the file of six from 2020.

In a single day
temperatures stayed above 90 levels for 9 days in a row and 19 days
in complete, setting two extra data. Phoenix broke or tied 12 day by day excessive
temperature data. 

The Nationwide Climate Service positioned an extreme warmth warning on practically day-after-day of the month. 

At
least 10 different Arizona cities — Prescott, Yuma, Apache Junction,
Carefree and extra — recorded their very own hottest July on file, the state
local weather workplace tweeted.

Maricopa County confirmed 17 and is
investigating 209 heat-related deaths in July. These deaths convey the
totals for 2023 to 25 confirmed and 249 underneath investigation. The county
well being division maintains a heat-relief map that features cooling stations, hydration stations and donation websites for individuals who can’t escape the acute warmth. 

Whereas August needs to be wetter than July, town remains to be going through excessive warmth. 

“General,” Saffell mentioned, “it appears to be like to be one of many hotter and drier summers, in all probability.”