Arizona weather wrapped: A broken record of broken records in Phoenix during 2024
Phoenix survived another scorcher of a year, with heat records broken day after day and some of the driest conditions America’s hottest city has seen.
When the year started, it seemed like all the rest, with near-average temperatures. But like your favorite artist’s EP, it didn’t last long. Temperatures soared over the summer and continued through the fall, topping the charts along the way.
Oh, yes, and this week — as in mid-December — has set new daily high-temperature records for three days in a row, reaching into the 80s and surpassing previous record highs set as far back as 1950.
Before we say goodbye to 2024, which will likely end as the hottest year in Phoenix on record, it’s time to wipe off the sweat and reflect.
Think of this as your Phoenix weather wrapped, complete with all the highs (literally) and lows (well, not so low) of 2024. (Just don’t ask how many minutes you spent seeking shelter from the swelter.)
A year in the heat: Was 2024 Earth’s hottest year on record? What to know about a scorching 12 months
100-degree temperatures were on repeat
Phoenix residents endured 113 consecutive days at or over 100 degrees — the longest streak ever recorded — keeping us sweating through most of the summer. This stole the top spot from 1993, with its piddly 76 days over 100.
July was a standout, posting an average temperature of 101.1 degrees for the month.
Phoenix saw 70 days at or above 110 degrees, like a song stuck on repeat all summer long.
But 2024 played second fiddle to 2020, failing to beat that year’s record of the most days at or above 100 degrees at 145. The year peaked at number two on the charts for that record, with 143 days.
How a city coped: Living and dying in America’s hottest big city: One week in the Phoenix heat
Summer rewind
Let’s break down the hottest summer in Phoenix (and Arizona) and its rise to fame — or infamy.
The summer started hot and stayed hot.
This June was the hottest June on record. The average temperature that month was 97 degrees, surpassing the previous record in 2021 with its 95.3-degree average.
“This was a record-breaking summer, which is something we don’t want to happen,” said Erinanne Saffell, Arizona’s state climatologist. “When we have fewer thunderstorms, it’s going to get hotter.”
Triple-digit temperatures in June along with minimal monsoon activity carried the heat through the entirety of the summer, with an average temperature of 99 degrees.
La Niña was likely a climatological tastemaker, influencing hot temperatures across the Southwest.
La Niña is a climatological event, part of a natural cycle called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO. During a La Niña event, trade winds that tend to blow east to west along the equator intensify, cooling oceanic temperatures in the Pacific.
The National Weather Service has issued a La Niña watch this year after observing colder temperatures in the Pacific, with a 59% chance it will emerge by January 2025.
While it hasn’t officially been declared, a colder Pacific tends to produce warmer and drier conditions in the Southwest, likely bolstering Phoenix’s sweltering summer.
So many records: The heat is over (fingers crossed). Here’s AZ’s record summer by the numbers
The monsoon hit all the wrong notes
Phoenix residents were left waiting for the thunderous beats and dramatic drops of monsoon storms that rarely came.
The monsoon season felt more like a lost B-side than a chart-topping hit, becoming the seventh-driest monsoon on record.
“In June we had an early start to the monsoon,” Saffell said. “We had precipitation at the end of June, which is unusual. June is climatologically the driest month for the state.”
Despite an active June, the monsoon underperformed. Sky Harbor Airport recorded just 0.74 of an inch of rain for the whole season.
Sizzling nighttime vibes
Those looking to wind down and enjoy cooler summer nights were often disappointed.
Low temperatures were higher than ever, with 39 hot nights when temperatures didn’t dip below 90 degrees.
The outlook: A weaker La Niña is expected this winter. What does that mean for Arizona?
A blistering bonus track: Phoenix’s hottest fall yet
With temperatures refusing to cool down, it felt like the Valley was stuck on a summer playlist. A relentless heat wave struck the Southwest, breaking temperature records across the region.
“By the end of September and into October, we were positioned under a ridge of high pressure that caused record-breaking temperatures all across the region,” Saffell said. “If we’re stuck under that high pressure, we can get really hot temperatures.”
Phoenix experienced its hottest October days on record, with a high temperature of 113 degrees on Oct. 1 and 6.
Another day, another record broken, as Oct. 7 notched another meteorological milestone: It was the latest day with a temperature over 110 degrees, surpassing the previous record on Sept. 18, 2010.
There were 21 consecutive days in October when Phoenix broke the daily high-temperature records.
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Could 2025 bring the desert’s next chart-topper?
The year 2024 will certainly be remembered with back-to-back records, a dry monsoon and one of the hottest fall seasons ever recorded.
Although she can’t predict the future, Saffell can give some insights into how she thinks 2025 could shape up.
With La Niña in talks of releasing a special feature, the winter months could lean warmer and drier.
“After that, we’ll have to wait and see,” she said. “Every summer is different, every monsoon is different. I think that’s what makes it exciting to pay attention to and watch.”
Will it be another dry remix or will the rains make a surprise guest appearance? Desert dwellers will have to stay tuned to find out.
Hayleigh Evans writes about extreme weather and related topics for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email her with story tips at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix breaks records in 2024 as heat settles across Arizona
