Excessive Heat — Lower Colorado River Valley, Arizona

2013-06-28 to 2013-06-30 · Lower Colorado River Valley, 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 along the Lower Colorado River Valley beginning on June 28 and continuing through the end of the month. High temperatures exceeded 115 degrees for the last 3 days of the month, including a high of 121 at Parker on the 29th of June! 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 463839. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.