Tucson gets triple-digit temperatures for the first time in 2019

Tucson’s temperatures passed 100 degrees Sunday afternoon for the first time in 2019.

By 2:40 p.m. Sunday, Tucson's high temperature was 101 at the Tucson International Airport.

The triple-digit mark came unseasonably late this year, though it’s not the latest recorded 100-degree day. The latest date that Tucson reached 100 degrees for the first time in a year was June 22 in 1905, according to Star archives.

Sunday’s temperature tied for the 13th latest triple-digit occurrence with June 9, 1959. It’s the latest occurrence since 1982, when it hit 100 degrees on June 10, said Emily Carpenter, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Tucson.

“It was just a matter of time before the real heat arrived,” Carpenter said. “It comes every year.”

Tucson is expected to stay in the triple-digits through the week, with Wednesday’s high expected to be 105 degrees and Thursday's high expected at 106 degrees.

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The average recorded first 100-degree day is May 25. In the last 10 years, the first 100-degree day has mostly been in May. In 2016 the first 100-degree day was on June 2, according to Star archives. The earliest 100-degree day in the last 10 years was in 2012, on April 22.

May had unusually low temperatures this year, making it the 23rd-coolest May on record. But weather patterns show the coming summer days will be warmer than normal, Glenn Lader, a National Weather Service Tucson meteorologist, said last week.

Meteorologists from the National Weather Service in Tucson are also predicting a later monsoon season this year.

Carpenter said it’s important that people remember to drink plenty of water and take frequent breaks in air-conditioned areas if they’re outside for long periods of time. She said people should check on their elderly neighbors and make sure their pets also stay hydrated and inside during the hotter time of day.

Those who enjoy the outdoors should get their hiking or other outdoor activities done early in the morning and avoid being outside in the afternoon, Carpenter said, adding that people should also let someone know where they’re going in case anything happens to them during a hike.