Phoenix hits record 115 degrees as extreme heat warning extends into next week

Phoenix reached a record-breaking 115 degrees on Saturday, August 22, breaking the previous record of 113 set in 2011. The National Weather Service has extended its Extreme Heat Warning and local stations’ First Alert Day designations through the coming week, with highs expected to stay between 109 and 115 degrees into next Saturday.

Morning lows have stayed in the lower 90s, and daytime highs have run well above the seasonal average of around 105 degrees. A ridge of high pressure sitting over the region is driving the extended heat wave. Forecasters expect Sunday to cool slightly to a high near 111, then Monday to dip further to around 109, before temperatures climb back up to 112–115 degrees from Tuesday through Saturday, potentially threatening more daily records. An ozone-driven air quality alert is also in effect through Sunday.

Is any relief from the monsoon expected?

Some moisture is in the picture, but mainly away from the Phoenix area. Isolated showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue over southern, eastern, and higher-elevation parts of Arizona through Monday before drying out midweek. Those storms could send outflow winds into the Valley, raising a modest chance — around 20% late Sunday night into early Monday — of gusty winds and blowing dust, though little in the way of direct rainfall is expected in Phoenix itself. FOX 10 separately reported that this summer’s monsoon rains have been enough to erase extreme drought conditions across Arizona, even as the Phoenix metro area continues to bake under the heat warning.

How does this compare to past heat records?

Saturday’s 115-degree reading broke a record that had stood since 2011, when Phoenix hit 113 degrees on the same date. The extension of the Extreme Heat Warning multiple times over the past week reflects how persistent the high-pressure ridge has been; daily highs have consistently landed 5 to 10 degrees above what’s typical for late August in the Valley.

What should residents expect through the week?

Both agreements on the extended forecast point to continued triple-digit heat well into next week, with temperatures forecast to climb back toward 112–115 degrees from Tuesday onward after a brief Monday dip. Officials are urging caution outdoors given the extreme and sustained nature of the heat, along with the added ozone air quality concerns through Sunday.

How are the outlets covering this differently?

AZFamily’s coverage, published as two separate First Alert Day updates, focuses on the granular day-by-day forecast — record temperatures, specific highs and lows, and the small chance of storm-driven wind and dust. FOX 10 Phoenix’s brief video-based report ties the record heat to a broader monsoon story, noting that seasonal rains elsewhere in Arizona have been substantial enough to end extreme drought conditions statewide, even while the Phoenix area itself remains under an extreme heat warning with little direct rain.

Sources

• AZFamily — The 110s just won’t end; First Alert days extended · First Alert Day: Extreme Heat Warning in effect as highs top 110 in Phoenix
• FOX 10 Phoenix

Featured photo: Lightandtruth via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)