Phoenix reaches 99 degrees, breaking previous daily record from 2022
Phoenix is already setting heat records, and it's only March. The temperature reached 99 degrees at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport at 2:05 p.m. according to the National Weather Service, breaking the previous daily record from 2022.
Meteorologist Alicia Ryan with the National Weather Service office in Phoenix said we were still sitting at 99, just after 3 p.m.
Meteorologists were monitoring temperatures March 25 as if it hit 100 degrees, it would be the earliest 100-degree day on record.
The current record for the earliest 100-degree day was set on March 26, 1988. The first 100-degree day could arrive ahead of schedule — the average first day, based on weather data between 1991 and 2020, is May 2.
A day earlier, a high of 96 broke another daily record, which was 94 degrees, set March 24, 1990. The normal for this time of year is 81 degrees.
A ridge of high pressure has entered the region, bringing the hottest temperatures of 2025 so far. High readings have pushed well into the 90s, more than 10 degrees above normal for this time of year.
The National Weather Service three-month outlook predicts warmer and drier than normal conditions across much of the Southwest. A weakening La Niña phase is likely contributing to higher-than-normal spring temperatures.
La Niña is a climatological event stemming from colder-than-normal temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean, usually causing warmer and drier conditions in Arizona and the Southwest.
The heatwave should continue until March 27, before temperatures cool to the mid to lower 80s. The extended forecast will be closer to average for late March, with high temperatures usually around 80 degrees.
Earliest on record: March 26, 1988
2024: April 21
2023: April 30
2022: May 7
2021: May 5
2020: April 26
2019: April 26
2018: April 10
2017: May 3
2016: May 4
2015: May 1
Source: National Weather Service
Hayleigh Evans writes about extreme weather and related topics for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email her with story tips at hayleigh.evans@arizonarepublic.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix reaches 99 degrees: Previous daily record was in 2022
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