Scorching heat bakes the Southwest

An anomalous area of high pressure allowed temperatures to soar over the last several days in the Desert Southwest.  Even by their summer standards, it’s been brutal.  Record highs have been flying faster than people can escape.  Phoenix experienced its 5th hottest day on record last week with the thermometer reaching 118°. 

It has been just as bad elsewhere.  Tucson, in southern Arizona managed its 3rd hottest day on record at 115°.  Yuma managed a to strike the 120° mark along with several other cities in southern California like Palm Springs, Blythe, and Needles.  In fact, Needles hit 125° to break their all-time record high.  Only Death Valley got hotter at 127°.  But It may have been their low temperature that was most impressive, just dropping down to 98° one of the warmest low temperatures ever recorded in North America.

But the heavily populated areas of SoCal were subject to brutal as well with Burbank coming in at a whopping 111°… Anaheim at 104° (home of Disneyland)… and even downtown LA, which is right next to the 65° Pacific Ocean water at an astonishing 97°.

Las Vegas couldn’t escape the heat either, with highs as warm as 115°, their 3rd warmest day ever.  Now, temperatures have cooled a bit, but not much.  In fact, Phoenix has seen 10 days this month with temperatures at or above 110°… the record is 18, but this still may wind up as the hottest month ever recorded for the city.  The current forecast suggests that it will be a close call!