Phoenix falls 2 degrees shy of extending unusual hot spell

Phoenix is sometimes called the Valley of the Sun due to the ample sunshine and hot weather it experiences throughout the summer, but the city has experienced an abnormally hot start to April.

The high temperature in Phoenix topped out above 90 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday for the thirteenth day in a row - leaving the city in reach of shattering a decades-old heat record previously set in 1989.

"Highs at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport have reached the 90s each day so far this April, with temperatures smashing records April 3 and 4," AccuWeather Meteorologist Joe Curtis said on Tuesday.

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Average high temperatures in Phoenix for this time of year are in the low to mid-80s, so Curtis explains they have been running anywhere from 5 to 15 degrees above average over the past thirteen days.

"High pressure has greatly influenced the weather pattern in the Desert Southwest so far this April, and it is a big reason why temperatures in Phoenix have been running so high," Curtis said.

The intensity of the hot weather decreased some on Wednesday with a high temperature of only 88, spelling an end to the stretch of 90-degree days at 13.

This is the second-longest streak of 90-degree days to start the month of April, falling short of the 23-day streak of 90-degree heat felt in Phoenix during April 1989, according to the National Weather Service.

Framed by saguaro cactus, the downtown Phoenix skyline is easier to see, Tuesday, April 7, 2020, as fewer motorists in Arizona are driving, following the state stay-at-home order due to the coronavirus, and it appears to be improving the air quality and decreasing the effects vehicle emissions have on the environment. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

The prolonged hot spell, combined with exceptional drought conditions across much of the state, has resulted in elevated fire threats so far this month, according to Curtis.

Drought conditions will not improve anytime soon, but thankfully for Phoenix residents, there will be a brief break from the heat on Thursday with highs returning to levels more typical of mid-April. However, it looks like it will turn hot again this upcoming weekend with temperatures back into the upper 80s and lower 90s.

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