Phoenix is ​​hot – everyone knows that. But this summer and fall, the city, like many other cities across the West, set record after record for high temperatures.

Between September 23 and October 14, Phoenix set new record high temperatures for 21 consecutive days. The previous record for the entire country was 14 days in Burlington, Iowa, during the Dust Bowl in 1936.

The city's hospitals have been scrambling to keep up with a surge in heat-related illnesses and overcrowded burns units “Contact heat” injuries. as city streets exceed 160 degrees. The heat kills hundreds of people every year in Maricopa County, home to Phoenix, and this year is no exception.

Number of heat-related illnesses per 100,000 emergency room visits in California, Nevada, and Arizona from September 1-10, 2024. As heat increased by triple digits across the region, the rate of emergency room visits for heat-related illnesses doubled. NOAA Climate.gov graphic based on data from the Centers for Disease Control's Heat and Health Tracker.

It's not just Phoenix. Los Angeles recorded its third highest daily maximum temperature on September 6th. Napa, California, which was expected to be in the low 80s in early October, was above 100 degrees on five of the first seven days of the month.

By the end of September, more than 500 daily high temperature records had been set in the western United States. A total of 15 stations had never recorded higher temperatures in September, including Ajo, Arizona, at 118 degrees and Tempe, Arizona, at 115 degrees.

On October 1, Palm Springs, California, reached 117 degrees, a new high temperature record for the entire month – not just for that station, but for the entire United States. Death Valley, California, was at 114 that day, also a new monthly record. Death Valley had its hottest summer ever and two people died in the heat.

An extreme heat sign is posted at the Piestewa Peak trailhead in Phoenix, Arizona, on June 5, 2024. Phoenix will see record temperatures of over 100 degrees as a high pressure pattern builds across the region, according to the National Weather Service. A forecast high of 114 is expected on Thursday. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

NOAA says heat waVeses are occurring more frequently in major cities in the United States than before. While in the 1960s the average city had to expect two heat waves per year, today there are more than six per year.

We may not yet know the extent of the recent heat in the context of history. October's full record numbers are not yet available, nor is September's national climate report, because the NOAA office in Asheville, North Carolina, was cut off from the world during Hurricane Helene and has not been able to report many since September to transmit its weather data. 27.

Fortunately, the heat wave is over, at least for a short time. Dave Houk, AccuWeather regional expert, says temperatures Thursday afternoon in Phoenix will be 90 degrees, close to the historical average, but Friday will see a dramatic transition to cool weather.

“Temperatures will be held around 80 degrees in Phoenix on Friday and could drop to the mid 70s in anticipation of the cloudy and rainy season. “This stretch of coolest weather since April will continue Saturday with pleasant, dry weather for outdoor plans and high temperatures in the mid-70s,” says Houk.

The last day Phoenix had a high temperature below 80 was April 15th.

“If another dome of high pressure takes over, this shot of cool air will subside on Sunday and especially Monday,” Houk explained. “Temperatures will reach at least the mid 90s on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with a chance of reaching 100 again on Wednesday.”