Phoenix has smashed heat record after heat record this summer and is on track to top some more as a deadly heat wave is forecast to arrive Wednesday.
Why it matters: Extreme heat is becoming increasingly common in Phoenix and the Southwest.
- Heat contributed to 645 deaths in metro Phoenix last year. The Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner has already confirmed 177 heat-related deaths this year and is investigating another 436.
- Phoenix's average temperature of the meteorological summer (June-August) was 98.9° — beating the record of 97° from last year, per National Weather Service Phoenix meteorologist Sean Benedict.
- The Valley will be under an excessive heat warning from Wednesday at 11am to Friday at 8pm.
- Thursday is expected to be the warmest day of the heat wave, with high temperatures forecast in the 110- to 114-degree range, Benedict said.
The bottom line: Just because we've made it through several months of hot weather does not mean we are fully acclimatized to handle the extreme heat we are expected to see this week, Benedict cautioned.
- "Anybody can be impacted by this heat, especially if you have long exposure outdoors," he said.
