Metro Phoenix has entered its third week of record-breaking heat, with temperatures topping 110 daily.
Excessive heat warnings issued by the National Weather Service have persisted for weeks, seeing constant extensions for the Phoenix area and many surrounding counties. The excessive highs aren’t the only problem. Record-high lows, meaning low temperatures that are higher than usual, have accompanied the sweltering temperatures, adding yet another challenge to cooling down.
So far this year, there have been 18 heat-related deaths in Maricopa County. There were 69 other deaths also under investigation by officials that could potentially cause the number to balloon even further.
Follow our reporting for the latest updates on the effects of the heat, weather forecast and any monsoon news.
At least 800 Tucson Electric Power customers are still without power after Sunday’s storm felled 30 poles, which initially affected 1,300 customers. Restoration of power is in progress and is slated to be completed by Wednesday night, the utility said.
The American Red Cross set up a cooling center Monday in Tucson for those affected by power outages on the city’s southwest side. The cooling center is located at Valencia Middle School, at 4400 W. Irvington Road. Nearby at the Anselmo Valencia Amphitheater, TEP is providing ice and the Trico Electric Cooperative is providing bottled water. Leashed pets are allowed at the cooling center, and people seeking shelter need to provide proof they are from the affected outage area.
— Sarah Lapidus
On Sunday, Phoenix ended a streak of searing 115-degree temperatures with a high of 114. Saturday had marked six consecutive days of scorching heat, tying a record with 2021’s six-day 115-plus degree heat wave. Sunday prevented Phoenix from breaking that record and signaled a start to lower temperatures as rainstorms began to appear across the Valley.
However, Sunday still held a high of 114 and soared Phoenix into 24 consecutive days of temperatures over 110 degrees. Due to those continued hot temperatures, the National Weather Service extended an excessive heat warning until Wednesday.
Fortunately, the Valley did see some relief from scattered showers on Saturday. As for this week, temperatures were expected to spike again Tuesday and Wednesday but should begin to cool toward the weekend. Phoenix could break the 110-degree streak this weekend.
— Ellie WIlliard
A 26-year-old Yuma farmworker died after collapsing in the fields last week amid a deadly heat wave, authorities said.
The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office verified the farmworker’s identity as Dario Mendoza. Mendoza was the father of two young children, according to Domini Franco, Mendoza’s longtime partner and the mother of the two children.
Co-workers called for help after they saw Mendoza walk away from where he was working and collapse twice from possible heat stroke, said Tania Pavlak, a spokeswoman for the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office.
When a deputy arrived, co-workers had already taken Mendoza to the Yuma Regional Medical Center, Pavlak said. Mendoza died a short while later at 9:48 a.m. on July 20, Pavlak said. The Yuma County medical examiner declared the death heat-related, Pavlak said.
The temperature in Yuma was in the mid-90s by 9 a.m. on July 20 and reached a high of 116, one degree shy of the 117-degree record for that day, according to Tom Frieders, a meteorologist in the Phoenix office of the National Weather Service.
— Daniel Gonzales
More: Maricopa County report confirms 18 heat-related deaths in Phoenix area so far this year
