Excessive Heat — Greater Phoenix Area, Arizona

2017-06-19 to 2017-06-25 · Greater Phoenix Area, Arizona

Event narrative

Strong high pressure aloft developed over the desert southwest and this lead to a prolonged period of excessive heat across the central Arizona deserts during the second half of June 2017. High temperatures each day routinely reached or exceeded 112 degrees, occasionally breaking records in the process. An Excessive Heat Warning was issued for the greater Phoenix area; it ran for 10 consecutive days starting on Saturday June 17. The most significant heat occurred in a 7 day stretch beginning on Monday June 19 when the mercury at Phoenix hit 118 degrees, setting a new record. 119 was hit the following day. The long stretch of dangerous heat claimed 2 victims; on Friday June 23rd, local sheriff's deputies responded to a welfare check at the Palmas Del Sol East retirement community in Apache Junction. They found the apartment to be extremely hot, with fans running at their maximum setting and the air conditioner not functioning. Two people were found dead in the apartment due to the excessive and dangerous heat. The high temperature in Phoenix on Friday was 112 degrees and this was the sixth consecutive day where the high reached or exceeded 110 degrees.

Wider weather episode

Very strong high pressure aloft developed across the desert southwest during the latter portion of June 2017, and this led to widespread and prolonged excessive heat across the lower deserts of southeast California as well as southern Arizona. High temperatures over the hotter deserts, including the greater Phoenix area, routinely exceeded 112 degrees each day and many of the hotter deserts approached or even exceeded 120 degrees at times. Numerous high temperature records were tied or broken, including those at Phoenix. Although an Excessive Heat Warning ran for 10 consecutive days across the lower deserts, the hottest period ran from Monday June 19 through Wednesday June 21; Phoenix reached highs of 118, 119 and 116 on those 3 days respectively. The extremely dangerous heat was responsible for the death of an elderly couple living in a retirement community in Apache Junction on the far eastern portion of the greater Phoenix area; the couple was found dead in their extremely hot apartment with the air conditioner not functional.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 697853. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.