PHOENIX – A 120-year-old Phoenix daily heat record fell on Thursday.
It hit 113 degrees at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, which the National Weather Service (NWS) uses for the city’s official readings, just before 11:30 a.m. to reach a new high for Aug. 7.
The previous daily record of 112 degrees was first set way back in 1905 and tied in 2012.
Thursday could end up as Phoenix’s hottest August day ever and tie for the hottest day of 2025.
“We’re expecting high temperatures potentially reaching … 117, maybe 118,” Gabriel Lojero of the National Weather Service (NWS) in Phoenix told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Thursday morning. “If we get to 118, it will be the all-time highest temperature ever recorded in the month of August.”
July 9 is the hottest day of the year so far at 118 degrees.
Phoenix set two previous daily heat records in last week
The early-August Phoenix heat wave is rewriting the weather record books.
On Saturday, it reached 114 degrees at Sky Harbor, topping the previous high for Aug. 2 by 1 degree.
Four days later, Phoenix reached 116 degrees on Wednesday to break the 30-year-old daily heat record for Aug. 6. The previous mark of 114 degrees was first set in 1995.
Another record fell Thursday morning, when the mercury bottomed out at 94 degrees, the warmest low temperature ever recorded in Phoenix on Aug. 7. The previous mark was 91 degrees in 2023.
Phoenix extreme heat watch runs through Friday
The Valley has been under an extreme heat watch since late last week. The watch is set to expire at 8 p.m. Friday, a day when the forecast calls for highs between 111 and 113 degrees.
“And then over the weekend, it will be around 110 degrees,” Lojero said. “So, at least there will be a slight relief in the overall temperatures, but still above normal.”
Normal for this time of year is 105 degrees.
Lojero warned about the dangers of extreme heat and said people should limit their time outdoors when temperatures soar.
“If you have to be out there, take frequent breaks in the shade, wear light loose-fit clothing and, very importantly, drink lots of water,” he said.
Due to the dangerous conditions, the following Phoenix hiking trails are restricted from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on extreme heat warning days:
- Camelback Mountain: Echo Canyon Trail and Cholla trail.
- Phoenix Mountains Preserve: Piestewa Peak Summit Trail and associated trails.
- South Mountain Park and Preserve: Holbert Trail, Mormon Trail, Hau’Pal Loop Trail and access to the National Trail from the Pima Canyon Trailhead.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Colton Krolak contributed to this report.
The post Phoenix breaks daily heat record that dates all the way back to 1905 appeared first on KTAR.
