Excessive Heat Warning In Phoenix Through Friday, Temps Near 115

PHOENIX, AZ — Temperatures in Phoenix could reach 114 degrees Fahrenheit — the highest temperatures in recent years — Thursday and cool down by only a few degrees overnight, according to the National Weather Service, which issued an excessive heat warning in the capital city, other parts of Arizona and parts of California. The warning runs through Friday evening.

Triple digit temperatures are typical in Phoenix during the summertime, and the lack of humidity makes the hot weather more tolerable than in areas of the Midwest and South, where high humidity can tack another 10 or so degrees on to feel-like temperatures. But the heat bearing down on Phoenix right now can be deadly, the agency said

Exposure to the broiling hot weather, especially in the afternoon hours, may bring on potentially fatal heat-related illnesses, including heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

Among cities and areas affected by the warning are Casa Grande, Tucson, Gila Bend and Yuma in southwestern Arizona and Blythe, Coachella, Indio and Palm Springs in California. (Get Phoenix Patch's real-time news alerts and free morning news letters. Like us on Facebook. Also, download the free Patch iPhone app or free Patch Android app.)

“It looks like Thursday will be the hottest day of the year so far,” National Weather Service forecaster Marvin Percha told the Associated Press. “But it can get hotter than this.”

The hottest it’s ever been in Phoenix is 122, set on June 26, 1990. The growing Phoenix metro area, which is home to about 5 million people, doesn’t cool off like it two or three decades ago, National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Deemer said told television station KPHO.

“You know the daytime temperatures are still rising slowly, but it's really that nighttime acceleration of temperatures where really we're seeing that change and that difference,” he said.

The record for Thursday is 116 degrees.

If you can’t stay home in the air conditioning Friday, seek out public places that have air conditioning. Libraries, community centers and shopping malls are good bets. Maricopa County has opened its cooling and hydrating stations.

The National Weather Service offered several tips to cope with the heat:

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