It could hit 100 degrees in Tucson on Friday, a few hours before 6,000 degrees are handed out at Arizona Stadium.
The temperature in Tucson will flirt with 100 on Thursday and probably hit it on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
“Our little reprieve is over,” said meteorologist Emily French of the weather service office in Tucson.
Hitting 100 this week would be an early, but not rare, occurrence.
The first 100-degree day, on average, is May 26, based on 120 years of record-keeping, but the dreaded day can come much earlier or much later in the spring. In 1989, for instance, it hit 100 on April 19. In 1905, it waited until June 22.
In recent decades, we’ve hit the mark earlier on average: May 19 in the 1990s and May 16 in the 2000s.
French said the official forecast is for Tucson to hit 98 degrees on Thursday and 100 on Friday. That could make things toasty Friday evening for the families of 6,000 new University of Arizona graduates filing into a stadium whose concrete has been baking all day.
“It’s going to warmer there than elsewhere,” French said.
Temperatures will decrease a bit over the weekend, to the mid-90s on Saturday and the low 90s on Sunday, French said.
This month and next always feature the hottest and driest days of the year.
Heat can be deadly hereabouts. Let’s all recite the Tucson summer mantra:
Limit your time outdoors. Apply sunscreen. Cover up in loose, light clothing. Drink plenty of water. Seek shade.
