Extreme heat in American Southwest runs rampant during one of the driest monsoon seasons on record
By Adriana Navarro, AccuWeather staff writer
The American Southwest is feeling the heat with another round of record-challenging temperatures forecast during the last half of August as the region endures one of the driest monsoon seasons on record.
On Wednesday, at least four record highs were broken in the Southwest, three of which were in Arizona.
Phoenix faced sweltering heat on Wednesday with the mercury reaching 114 F, smashing the previous record of 110, which had been set in 2007. This wasn't far off from the temperature in Death Valley, which topped out at 116 F.
"Phoenix and the entire Desert Southwest has been under the influence of a ridge of high pressure the last few days, which has had temperatures in the region about 10 degrees above average," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist John Feerick said.
He notes while the heat is not unusual, August typically introduces more moisture amid the Southwest Monsoon, limiting temperatures with more clouds and storms.
"This year, that has not been the case," Feerick said. "2019 has been one of the driest monsoon seasons on record, so the extreme heat has continued."
Flagstaff, Arizona, has received a little over an inch of rain since June 1. Typically, the city receives about 5.25 inches of rain by this point in the summer.
The North American monsoon had a late start this year, officially beginning in Tuscon, Arizona, on July 13, nearly a month after the North American monsoon season began on June 15. The monsoon ends on Sept. 30 each year.
According to the United States Drought Monitor, this has been the city's latest start date since 2005.
The drought monitor has also found that areas of extreme drought have developed in western Texas after a week of extreme heat. The areas of drought on the intensity scale ranges from "abnormally dry" to "exceptional drought."
A hiker finishes his morning walk at the South Mountain Preserve to beat the high temperatures, Thursday, July 11, 2019, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Temperatures will back off from the near-record levels this weekend, but humidity may make it feel warmer.
"Over the next couple of days, we will see some minimal moisture come in from the south, which will bring the temperature back to the average for late August," Feerick said. "That being said, the increase in moisture will obviously increase the humidity and keep AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures on the high side."
However, record-challenging temperatures may return early next week.
"The monsoonal moisture will retreat again early next week, and temperatures will climb above average as we finish the month of August," Feerick said. "Though Monday and Wednesday will be very hot, too, Tuesday is probably the peak of the heat next week."
accuweather.com |
