Extreme August heat shatters more records

Posted: 9:20 AM
Last Updated: 1 hour and 7 minutes ago
By: Allison Miller

PHOENIX - Lack of monsoon rainfall and an unusually intense high pressure system to our east have contributed to the warmest period on record at Sky Harbor International Airport.

This has led to a record-breaking month ! In fact, August 2011 will go down as the hottest August on record -- of all time.

On top of that, August ties July 2009 as the hottest month ever on record in Phoenix. The average daily temperature (average of highs and lows) was 98.3 degrees which ties that of July 2009. The normal for August is 93.6.

In August 2011, the average high temperature was 109 degrees, breaking the old record of 107.3 set in 1962. The average low temperature was 87.5 degrees, breaking the old record of 86.1 set in 2007.

In addition, we broke several other records:

On August 26, 2011 we hit a high of 117! That broke the all-time record high ever recorded in the month of August at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. The previous August record was 116 set on August 10, 2003, August 4, 1973, and August 1, 1972.

We have already tied or broken 14 records in August -- seven record highs and seven record warm lows.

Our 110+ degree days also are not letting up. We have seen 31 days at or above 110 so far this year, well above the average of 18. The record is 32 days set back in 2007 and it looks like we will break that record by the end of the week, with more 110+ days in the forecast.

We are also approaching the record of most lows at 85 degrees or warmer. That record is 51 set back in 1981. We have several more lows in the upper 80s in the forecast through the holiday weekend.

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/weather/weathe ... z1WitbDpHw