The heat is back on the rise, and record-setting temperatures might be in store for Tucson and the surrounding area beginning Sunday, officials say.
The National Weather Service in Tucson issued an excessive heat warning Friday, which is set to begin Sunday morning and last through Tuesday. During this stretch, the city is expected to reach historic highs and potentially even break temperature records.
Sunday is expected to reach 106 degrees. The record for Aug. 26 occurred in 2011 when the temperature reached 108.
Monday is expected to reach 108. The current record high is 107, set in 2021.
Tuesday’s high is forecast to be 106 degrees. The current record high for that date is 107, set in 1985.
Wednesday’s high is expected to be 103. And Thursday and Friday are predicted to reach the high 90s, according to the weather service.
Tucson has a 40-50% chance of rain and storms starting on Wednesday through next weekend.
As of Aug. 17, the National Weather Service in Tucson has tallied 14 days reaching temperatures of at least 100 degrees, only one shy of the August average.
There have been seven occurrences where daily highs reached at least 105, surpassing the month’s average of five in just 17 days.
September has the potential to at least start fairly active when it comes to storms that can provide temporary relief from the heat, said Chris Rasmussen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tucson.
“Next weekend’s (storm pattern) is pretty good, but then after that we can start to see signals of a stronger trough of low pressure developing along the West Coast,” he said. “Usually when that happens it tries to dry as out a little bit,” he said.
“Will it kill the monsoon, will it push it away for good? No, not really, but it might put it at bay for a little bit,” Rasmussen said.
Despite the high temperatures to begin the week, the weather service still places up to a 20% chance of rain for those days.
