Phoenix's October heat wave is "unprecedented"
Phoenix is in the throes of an unprecedented
heat wave expected to last at least until the end of the week.
Reality check: Our summers have always been hot, but recently they've been feeling longer, too.
- National Weather Service Phoenix meteorologist Ted Whittock said the Valley broke more heat records in the summer shoulder season — spring and fall in the past several years.
The big picture: Sky Harbor recorded 113° on Tuesday — the first time on record we've hit 110° in October.
- Before this year, the latest we'd ever seen 110° was Sept. 19, in 2010.
Between the lines: Research shows
climate change is causing heat waves to be
more intense, longer-lasting and more frequent.
Stunning stat: The average monthly temperature this September was 94.6°, more than 2 degrees higher than the previous September record set in 2001.
What are we doing to ourselves?