This heat wave has turned into an around-the-clock ordeal. Following one of the warmest nights in Valley history, the National Weather Service has declared an excessive heat warning effective through the weekend. Daytime highs are forecast to peak around 115 degrees.
Storms, strong wind kick up dust in East Valley
This heat wave has turned into an around-the-clock ordeal.
Following one of the warmest nights in Valley history, the National Weather Service has declared an excessive heat warning effective through the weekend. Daytime highs are forecast to peak around 115 degrees.
Friday's high reached 114.
Despite the heat, the Weather Service is predicting a slight chance of monsoon activity in the Phoenix area over the next few days, but the best chance for activity will be over Arizona's higher terrain.
As of Friday afternoon, storms that had built up over the Mogollon Rim were moving southwest toward the Valley. These triggered severe thunderstorm warnings for the areas near Globe and Superior.
The Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla. said damaging winds potentially could reach the Phoenix area.
Because of the heat reacting with airborne pollutants, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality issued an ozone health watch for Saturday. That means the level of ozone is expected to approach, but not exceed federal standards.
In the latter case, ADEQ releases a high pollution advisory -- as it did for Friday.
On Friday morning, the low was 93 degrees. Not only did this tie the daily record for warmest minimum (previously reached in 2003 and 2005), it also tied for the seventh-hottest low in Phoenix's recorded climatological history, which goes back about 120 years.
The Valley's all-time warmest low temperature is 96, set on July 15, 2003.
At this time of year, the highs usually are around 107 and the lows about 83.
