By: Kayla Mitchell

Media Editor 

Phoenix, Arizona has always been one of the hottest cities in the United States. Its sunny, dry weather has made the city a popular destination. Unfortunately, for residents of Phoenix, their city’s heat has started to make headlines for all the wrong reasons. This past summer, Phoenix’s extreme sun shattered multiple heat records that people used to believe to be untouchable. 

Phoenix gained the attention of the nation when, on Sept. 3, it experienced its 100th straight day of heat over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The streak began on May 26, when the temperature first reached a high of 102 degrees. Phoenix’s previous record was set in 1993 when temperatures reached highs of over 100 degrees for 76 days straight, a number that now seems small in comparison to the ever-growing 2024 streak. Since hitting the 100th day of extreme heat, the streak has continued with no relief. Lead meteorologist Mark O’Malley from the National Weather Service in Phoenix said that Sept. 15 will be Phoenix’s first chance since May to experience weather under the 100 degree mark. He stated, “If it drops below that, we will break the 100-degree streak. But if it doesn’t drop below that, we don’t know when we will get the next chance.” 

The summer of 2024 has officially been named the hottest summer in Phoenix’s history. In 2023, Phoenix set a record with an average temperature of 97 degrees during the summer. This year, Phoenix set another new record with an average summer temperature of 99 degrees. On Sept. 5, 2024, Phoenix broke another record for the most consecutive days above 110 degrees. On that day, Phoenix experienced its 56th consecutive day where highs reached over 110, surpassing the previous record of 55 consecutive days set in 2023. 

 Phoenix’s increasingly extreme summer heat may make the city a less desirable destination in the future. On Jul. 24 CNN reported that heat had already killed 27 people in Maricopa County, home to Phoenix, so far this year and is suspected as the cause of an additional 396 other deaths. Arizona’s average annual temperatures could possibly increase another three degrees in the next twenty years. Meteorologists predict that Arizona will see a two-degree increase in average summer temperatures alongside a 20% increase in days above 95 degrees. These projected increases indicate that the records set by Phoenix this summer might not take long to break and that residents will endure increasingly dangerous levels of heat in the future. 

(Sources: CNN, azcentral, USA Today)