As Phoenix Swelters, Extreme Heat Starts ‘Wearing Down on the Body,’ Meteorologist Says

Phoenix public health officials urged everyone living there to be sensible and not to expect to get used to the extreme heat, as the city entered day 13 of temperatures in the 110s on Wednesday.

The city has been under near-record oppressive heat, but Thursday through Monday could be even worse, with highs approaching 120 degrees Fahrenheit forecast for multiple days.

The National Weather Service told The Messenger that abnormally strong high pressure has been hanging around the southwest, impacting California, Nevada, Arizona, and Texas.

"It is the length of heat that starts wearing down on the body," Tom Frieders, warning coordination meteorologist, said in an interview. "Not only the high temperatures being that warm, but then overnight temperatures aren't cooling that much.

"So you are getting very little relief and the past two mornings in Phoenix we haven't gotten below 90 degrees. That begins to wear on the body, especially for those unable to get to cooling stations or don't have AC."

The norm for this time of year in Phoenix is around 107F which Frieders said is a level that Arizonans generally are able to cope with.

But there are concerns that even higher temperatures over an extended period of time could lead to more serious health conditions, including heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

More than 400 people in the metro Phoenix area died from heat-related illnesses last summer, reaching a peak when excessive heat warnings were in place.

Nearly 60% of heat-associated deaths occurred among non-Hispanic White
individuals, with the majority aged between 50 and 64.

"Those who are dying from heat-related causes, many have lived here in Maricopa County for more than 20 years," Doctor Nick Staab, assistant medical director for Maricopa County Public Health said.

"So the thought that the longer people live here, the more they grow accustomed to the heat is just not being shown in our data.

"We are asking everybody to have a plan for what to do in this heat, whether you have lived here for 20 years or are a new arrival, as many in the County are."

Continued need for heat relief centers

"We deal with the heat every year, so we have really close relationships with all of our partners in other government agencies that deal with heat and the impacts, and try to mitigate it as much as possible," Frieders added.

"Many cities across the area have cooling centers they have set up for those who unfortunately do not have access to air conditioning to get some relief from the heat."

Phoenix heat centers are managed by the Maricopa Association of Governments, which told The Messenger that sites have been very busy and there is an ongoing need for water donations.

Centers are run by a network of organizations, including the Salvation Army and Maricopa County Public Health.

“The Salvation Army considers the extreme heat of Arizona a natural disaster situation, so our heat relief efforts or part of our Emergency Disaster Services,” Major Tim Smith, The Salvation Army Divisional Secretary for Metro Phoenix, said. 

A growing trend of extreme heat

Oppressive heat is a part of life in the Southwest, with record-breaking days relatively normal in the 1990s and into the 2000s. However, those were one-off days.

Frieders explained that with climate change, extreme temperatures are on the rise and will become more common.

"We are seeing temperatures gradually warm year-to-year," the meteorologist added. "Then overnight lows, especially with the urbanized effect for the Phoenix metro area, that tends to hold its heat overnight, so that keeps those low temperatures on the warm side.

"As those conditions continue to expand year-to-year it continues to be a dangerous situation."

"When your body can't cool off, that's when you're at highest risk of these severe outcomes," Dr. Staab added. "So we're particularly concerned about individuals experiencing homelessness or just don't have a stable place to get out of the heat."

Maricopa County Public Health said it encourages people to work earlier in the morning when possible, so that they stay inside during the hottest times of day, but that everyone who spends time outside needs to ensure they stay hydrated and cool.

“While the summertime heat isn't unfamiliar to us in Phoenix, climate change is making the heat more intense," Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego told The Messenger. "That's why I led the effort to create the city's Office of Heat Response and Mitigation, so that we could not only provide city-funded heat relief programs throughout the summer, but also work on long-term ways to cool down our city."

The mayor said that initiatives like increasing tree planting, changing building standards to be more heat resilient, and mandating additional shade cover near transit and high pedestrian areas, mean the city is making progress on effective ways to make the community more comfortable.

"In the meantime, I've also called on the administration and Congress to add extreme heat to FEMA's declared disasters list so that we can unlock and leverage federal resources to save lives," Mayor Gallego added.

Arizona leaders recently called on FEMA to add extreme heat to its list of relief-eligible weather incidents, alongside hurricanes and wildfires.

The NWS offered locals some faint hope of relief, with some light showers forecast during the day Wednesday. Temperatures are set to drop back to normal levels sometime later next week.