Phoenix bakes under its hottest August temperature as heat wave grips Desert Southwest
It's the second day in a row that temperatures reached extreme levels for August. Highs Wednesday hit 116 in Phoenix and have ranged from 112-114 degrees each day in August so far.
Phoenix sets record for hottest August high temperature
The thermometer soared to 118 degrees in Phoenix Wednesday, breaking the previous August high temperature record of 117 degrees.
PHOENIX -- Heat and summer go hand-in-hand in the Desert Southwest, but the current stretch of hot weather is taking it to the extreme.
Phoenix just reached 118 degrees on Thursday, recording their hottest August temperature on record. It broke a 4-way tie of 117 degrees, with all of those readings coming since 2011, including two summers ago.
High temperature records in Phoenix go back to 1895.
Southwest Heat Alerts
It's the second day in a row that temperatures reached extreme levels for August. Highs Wednesday hit 116 in Phoenix and have ranged from 112-114 degrees each day in August so far.
High temperatures should drop a few degrees Friday, but Extreme Heat Warnings remain in effect through Friday evening across much of central and southern Arizona, with an influx of atmospheric moisture raising humidity levels.
The heat should return to more typical levels over the weekend and into next week -- though that still means highs near 110.