HikeArizona.COM

The endless chatter of weather.

It looks like high temps in PHX for the next few days will blow away previous record highs
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A local (AZ) meteorologists was saying that the ridge of high pressure is more like what you would see in June than March. The pressure itself, he meant. No moisture to work with, but that type of intense pressure is typically what brings in monsoonal flow. If this sort of high intensity continues it could be a very intense monsoon season. Models that don't factor in the El nino are suggesting this.

Mistakes happen, but I'm starting to think that the channel 12 graphics department might not know how to make a graph.

Meanwhile in our alphabetical neighbor state (an obviously critically relevant metric ) the polar opposite of our heat dome is continuing to deliver an unusually cold winter. Fairbanks has reached 32 only once since October, and this week much of the state is experiencing lows in the 20 to 40 below zero range. Maybe 105 isn't so bad after all?

@chumley
I’d rather have the cold, no matter how cold, instead of anything hot.

@LindaAnn I can deal with a couple of hours over 100 when it's still in the 60s when I get up. It's when overnights don't drop under 90 that it gets intolerable pretty fast. I think the reverse is true in the cold too. A few minus 20s overnight are acceptable, but when the sunny daytimes are still in the crispy minus numbers, that might get old after a while.

The generally cited most extreme US temperature differences on the same calendar day runs in the 150 degree range and generally references central Alaska and one of the southern states. Apparently specific dates and actual city pairs are tough to come by, even for Claude.

If the southwestern deserts hit 110 Friday and there's a -40 in Alaska it would be right in the range of that highest extreme, which is impressive.

@chumley
I’d happily take below zero temps over 70 degree (or hotter) temps every single time.

all sorts of high temperature records will be broken this week:
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chumley wrote: ↑Mar 18 2026 8:33 am Fairbanks has reached 32 only once since October, and this week much of the state is experiencing lows in the 20 to 40 below zero range. Maybe 105 isn't so bad after all?

The last two weeks I was in Alaska (separated from US Army in January 1972) the temp never rose above -40°... it was so cold neither the car seats nor the shock absorbers provided any give... as though riding on a solid block of ice, which essentially, it was.

Between 18 months in Alaska and all the years of cold in Minnesota, once I moved to AZ in 2002 I swore off cold weather... in a weak moment if I ever wish to experience snow/cold again, it's within a few hours driving distance... but so far I have not had any of those weak moments.

But no thanks, I'll even take 110° over -40°.

As of right now, I'd take just being able to walk upright to go out and experience these high temps.
(Finally. Monday I have appt with VA Ortho/Spine doc so hoping for some kind of relief more than muscle relaxants and ice-packs. Nope, no opioids.)

@CannondaleKid
I had the joy of being stationed in Alaska AND North Dakota during my time in the Air Force. There was one particular task that required taking 16 small screws out to remove a panel on something to replace a part. This was a job that usually came up a few times a week. In the summer? It was maybe a 5-10 minute job. In the winter when it was -30 or -40 out? Easily an hour. Take your gloves off (itty bitty stupid freaking screws), remove one or two screws, almost get frost bite, hop back in the truck to warm back up, rinse and repeat...
And at -40, the truck had to be moving or it would just blow out freezing cold air. That was a new one to me. In town, a lot of people ran red lights because of that...

I'm not a huge fan of this crappy warm winter/early hot days but it sure beats that nonsense.

CannondaleKid wrote:January 1972

And a year earlier, the coldest temperature recorded in this state, -40 (both F and C), occurred at Hawley Lake in the White Mountains. With our highest temp of 128F, the range of extremes in Arizona is 168 degrees ... not even in the top 10 of US states, led by Montana with a 187 degree swing (-70 to 117). So, when are we all moving to San Diego?

In the past two days, over 30 cities across the west experienced the warmest March temperatures on record (periods of record vary by site).

Forecasts indicate upwards of 77 cities will break high-temperature records today, 100+ cities tomorrow, and 95+ on Saturday.

And it's not just daytime heat. About 60-70 cities are forecast to break the record for warmest low temperature too.

(In actuality, many more locations will exceed records because the only "cities" listed are where weather stations with long-term records exist. In Arizona that's only Kingman, Flagstaff, Winslow, Lake Havasu, Phoenix, Yuma, Oracle, and Tucson. Obviously, records will fall in other locales like Prescott, Payson, Casa Grande, etc. but not be counted in this report.

(Peruse that data here: https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/exper/ndfd/ndfd.html)

I'm here in Phoenix to "enjoy" the unprecedented early heat. At least it's been possible to enjoy mornings. I feel sluggish when afternoon rolls around.

Well "The Dude" our desert tortoise has been up for over over a week and the first whitewing came in Sun. Early for both.

Some rain in the 10 day for the southern area! The chances aren't impressive yet but we shall see what comes to pass--

@RedRoxx44
The chances in Arizona look underwhelming (but in April, every drop counts toward fire prevention). Even better, it looks like temps might drop from 25 degrees above normal to only 10 degrees above normal!

The HAZ map of radar-estimated rainfall shows some decent results in the 0.5"+ range across the Mogollon Rim and some good storms southeast of Tucson earlier in the week.

Meanwhile, NWS PHX posted the March recap and it's off the charts.