Excessive Heat — Southwest Maricopa County, Arizona

2013-06-28 to 2013-06-30 · Southwest Maricopa County, Arizona

Event narrative

A very strong upper level high pressure system developed across the desert southwest during the last few days of June, and this led to excessive heat across southwestern Maricopa County, beginning on June 28 and continuing through the end of the month. High temperatures at Gila Bend were at or above 115 degrees for the last 3 days of the month. Low temperatures during the last weekend of the month climbed into the middle 80s, offering little or no relief from the oppressive daytime heat. An Excessive Heat Warning was issued at 10 am Friday, June 28th and it ran through the end of June and into the first week of July.

Wider weather episode

A very strong upper level high pressure system developed across the desert southwest during the last few days of June 2013. This led to a protracted period of Excessive Heat over the lower Arizona deserts, which began on June 28, and continued into the first week of July. Many high temperature records were broken during the last weekend of June, and high temperatures reached or exceeded 120 degrees across some of the hottest deserts. Phoenix Sky Harbor reached to 119 degrees on June 29; this was a record high and the first time that a high of exactly 119 was recorded at Phoenix.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 463818. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.