Phoenix on the cusp of breaking decades-old heat record
By
Mary Gilbert, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Oct 13, 2020 10:02 AM EST
|
Updated Oct 14, 2020 5:40 PM EST
Disaster relief groups say volunteers from across the United States and Canada are helping hurricane survivors in Louisiana, but more help is needed.
The high temperature hit triple digits again on Tuesday in Phoenix, topping out at an even 100 degrees -- more than 10 degrees above normal for this time of year -- leaving the city on the cusp of shattering a decades-old heat record.
The tally for Phoenix's triple-digit days in 2020 has now equaled the 1989 mark of 143 days. The high temperature in Phoenix is expected to reach 101 degrees on Wednesday afternoon, which would write a new page for 2020 in the weather record books. A temperature of 101 on Wednesday would also break the all-time daily high-temperature record for Oct. 14, which stands at 100 set in 2015, according to the NWS.
And the unseasonably warm weather will persist in the Desert Southwest through the end of the week.
An atmospheric river of moisture extending all the way from the central Pacific to the Pacific Northwest is ushering in some much-needed fire relief and precipitation for the charred area, but forecasters say the storm will entirely bypass fire-ravaged California. With no beneficial rain in sight, a scorching hot pattern is set to develop across the state as well as across interior areas of the Southwest, where one major city has a searing heat record in contention for 2020.
A northward bulge in the jet stream over the western third of the United States, will act to divert the storm far to the north, and along with a strengthening area of high pressure farther south, will work together to bring unseasonable heat to many residents this week.
"High pressure that was centered off the coast of Northern California early in the week reached the Oregon coast on Wednesday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Jake Sojda said.
As a result of this pattern change, unseasonably warm conditions are expected throughout most of the southwestern U.S. this week. However, the Desert Southwest will be in the crosshairs for the truly sizzling temperatures.
The hottest conditions of the week will bake portions of southern Arizona, southern Nevada and inland areas of Southern California. In these areas, daytime high temperatures will generally climb 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit above normal levels for the middle of October. Typical high temperatures across the Desert Southwest range from the lower 80s in cities like Las Vegas, to near 90 in cities like Phoenix and Palm Springs, California, to the middle 90s in Death Valley, California.
During the hottest days this week, high temperatures in the upper 90s to lower 100s will be common across the major metro areas of the Desert Southwest. Farther north, high temperatures in the 90s will be common across northern and central portions of California as well as much of Nevada.
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The worst of the heat arrived for many across the Desert Southwest as early as Tuesday, while the arrival of the worst heat for cities like San Francisco and Redding, California, will be delayed until after midweek.
As has been the theme this year, many records will be in jeopardy this week as the core of the heat builds over the Southwest. The most notable record in jeopardy of being broken this week belongs to Phoenix.
In a given year, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, the official climate station for the city of Phoenix, typically averages about 102 days where the high temperature equals or exceeds 100 degrees. The all-time record for the number of days in a given year where the high temperature equaled or exceeded 100 degrees belongs to 1989 when a mind-boggling 143 days were recorded.
Other cities where record high temperatures are in jeopardy of being tied or broken this week include, but are not limited to, Las Vegas and San Francisco. In Las Vegas, temperatures will flirt with record levels through Wednesday, while records will not be in jeopardy in San Francisco until Thursday and Friday.
Heat of this level will act to increase the risk for heat-related illnesses, especially for the most vulnerable populations. Residents across the Southwest should drink plenty of water and try to limit any outdoor activity to the morning or evening hours to avoid peak heating.
In addition to unrelenting heat, this pattern change will also usher in another serious threat for portions of the Southwest: high winds.
"Tuesday night into Wednesday, surface high pressure quickly moved inland across the Northwest and strengthened, which created a textbook offshore wind setup," Sojda said. "The strongest winds look to occur later into Thursday morning, when the high over the Northwest will peak in strength."
"The focus of the strongest winds will be in the northern Sierra Nevada and Sacramento Valley into the Bay Area, but the pressure gradient will be just robust enough to get slightly stronger wind gusts over a larger portion of the mountains in Southern California as well," Sojda added.
These strong winds will act in conjunction with other factors including, very low humidity levels, no precipitation and extremely dry fuels to create an elevated to critical fire threat across portions of California through Friday.
Where firefighters have made progress toward full containment of large fires, these strong winds may considerably hinder further progress or even act to erase progress altogether. Rapid fire growth is likely to occur in areas impacted by the strongest winds.
One such fire that could worsen this week in California is the August Complex Fire, the largest complex fire in state history.
Unfortunately for residents across the Southwest waiting for prolonged relief after months of brutal weather, the wait will continue through at least the weekend, as little to no change in the overall weather pattern is anticipated.
Correction: This article previously stated that the record for total number of days where the temperature in Phoenix reached 100 or greater was set in 1984. It was previously established in 1989.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Weather Forecasts
Phoenix on the cusp of breaking decades-old heat record
By Mary Gilbert, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Oct 13, 2020 10:02 AM EST | Updated Oct 14, 2020 5:40 PM EST
Disaster relief groups say volunteers from across the United States and Canada are helping hurricane survivors in Louisiana, but more help is needed.
The high temperature hit triple digits again on Tuesday in Phoenix, topping out at an even 100 degrees -- more than 10 degrees above normal for this time of year -- leaving the city on the cusp of shattering a decades-old heat record.
The tally for Phoenix's triple-digit days in 2020 has now equaled the 1989 mark of 143 days. The high temperature in Phoenix is expected to reach 101 degrees on Wednesday afternoon, which would write a new page for 2020 in the weather record books. A temperature of 101 on Wednesday would also break the all-time daily high-temperature record for Oct. 14, which stands at 100 set in 2015, according to the NWS.
And the unseasonably warm weather will persist in the Desert Southwest through the end of the week.
An atmospheric river of moisture extending all the way from the central Pacific to the Pacific Northwest is ushering in some much-needed fire relief and precipitation for the charred area, but forecasters say the storm will entirely bypass fire-ravaged California. With no beneficial rain in sight, a scorching hot pattern is set to develop across the state as well as across interior areas of the Southwest, where one major city has a searing heat record in contention for 2020.
A northward bulge in the jet stream over the western third of the United States, will act to divert the storm far to the north, and along with a strengthening area of high pressure farther south, will work together to bring unseasonable heat to many residents this week.
"High pressure that was centered off the coast of Northern California early in the week reached the Oregon coast on Wednesday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Jake Sojda said.
As a result of this pattern change, unseasonably warm conditions are expected throughout most of the southwestern U.S. this week. However, the Desert Southwest will be in the crosshairs for the truly sizzling temperatures.
The hottest conditions of the week will bake portions of southern Arizona, southern Nevada and inland areas of Southern California. In these areas, daytime high temperatures will generally climb 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit above normal levels for the middle of October. Typical high temperatures across the Desert Southwest range from the lower 80s in cities like Las Vegas, to near 90 in cities like Phoenix and Palm Springs, California, to the middle 90s in Death Valley, California.
During the hottest days this week, high temperatures in the upper 90s to lower 100s will be common across the major metro areas of the Desert Southwest. Farther north, high temperatures in the 90s will be common across northern and central portions of California as well as much of Nevada.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The worst of the heat arrived for many across the Desert Southwest as early as Tuesday, while the arrival of the worst heat for cities like San Francisco and Redding, California, will be delayed until after midweek.
As has been the theme this year, many records will be in jeopardy this week as the core of the heat builds over the Southwest. The most notable record in jeopardy of being broken this week belongs to Phoenix.
In a given year, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, the official climate station for the city of Phoenix, typically averages about 102 days where the high temperature equals or exceeds 100 degrees. The all-time record for the number of days in a given year where the high temperature equaled or exceeded 100 degrees belongs to 1989 when a mind-boggling 143 days were recorded.
Other cities where record high temperatures are in jeopardy of being tied or broken this week include, but are not limited to, Las Vegas and San Francisco. In Las Vegas, temperatures will flirt with record levels through Wednesday, while records will not be in jeopardy in San Francisco until Thursday and Friday.
Heat of this level will act to increase the risk for heat-related illnesses, especially for the most vulnerable populations. Residents across the Southwest should drink plenty of water and try to limit any outdoor activity to the morning or evening hours to avoid peak heating.
In addition to unrelenting heat, this pattern change will also usher in another serious threat for portions of the Southwest: high winds.
"Tuesday night into Wednesday, surface high pressure quickly moved inland across the Northwest and strengthened, which created a textbook offshore wind setup," Sojda said. "The strongest winds look to occur later into Thursday morning, when the high over the Northwest will peak in strength."
"The focus of the strongest winds will be in the northern Sierra Nevada and Sacramento Valley into the Bay Area, but the pressure gradient will be just robust enough to get slightly stronger wind gusts over a larger portion of the mountains in Southern California as well," Sojda added.
These strong winds will act in conjunction with other factors including, very low humidity levels, no precipitation and extremely dry fuels to create an elevated to critical fire threat across portions of California through Friday.
Where firefighters have made progress toward full containment of large fires, these strong winds may considerably hinder further progress or even act to erase progress altogether. Rapid fire growth is likely to occur in areas impacted by the strongest winds.
One such fire that could worsen this week in California is the August Complex Fire, the largest complex fire in state history.
Unfortunately for residents across the Southwest waiting for prolonged relief after months of brutal weather, the wait will continue through at least the weekend, as little to no change in the overall weather pattern is anticipated.
Correction: This article previously stated that the record for total number of days where the temperature in Phoenix reached 100 or greater was set in 1984. It was previously established in 1989.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo