Weather Forecasters Warn of More Extreme Temperatures as Southwestern Heat Wave Continues

Children cool off on a hot summer day at a water park in Alhambra, Calif. on July 3, 2018 Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images

PHOENIX, Ariz.—Homeless on the streets since 2017, Roosevelt thought he knew what an Arizona heat wave felt like.

But these past two weeks have been hellish for Roosevelt and his girlfriend, Tru, squatting by an iron fence in “The Zone,” a sprawling urban encampment of homeless people in Phoenix.

Roosevelt wore a long head wrap to catch the sweat, Tru’s arms wrapped around his shirtless torso as the two suffered in silence in the sweltering afternoon heat.

“Yeah, I’ve been out here for six years. I’ve been to Yuma,” said Roosevelt, eyes sleepy from heat fatigue while his body soaked up every drop of cool water flowing from a running faucet through the fence.

Roosevelt (L), and his girlfriend Tru huddle together next to a running faucet near The Zone homeless encampment in Phoenix, Ariz., on July 11, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

Yuma was blistering hot, Roosevelt recalled.

But at 3 p.m. on July 11, the sky above Phoenix was cloudless, the sun relentless, as temperatures soared above 107 degrees Fahrenheit.

There would be no end to the day’s misery until the sun went down.

Late Monsoon Season

“It’s so hot,” said Tru, dressed for mid-summer in light gym shorts and a halter top.

Still, she refused to worry about succumbing to the heat wave.

“We have God on our side,” Tru told The Epoch Times.

About a quarter mile away, the downtown near 1st Street and Jackson was largely empty of pedestrian traffic since most tourists and working people had decided to stay indoors in air-conditioned safety.

Hunter Sack, 7, runs through the water at Max Patterson Park to escape from the heat during a record heat wave in Gladstone, Ore., on June 27, 2021. Craig Mitchelldyer/AP Photo

And staying safe is the catchword for Arizona and most of the southwestern United States as a 12-day heat wave enters its second week.

In Texas alone, there have been at least 14 heat-related deaths since record-high temperatures took hold of much of the region in late June.

“This type of heat is often possible during the summer months in the desert. What makes this year special is that the North American monsoon has been slow to develop,” observed Daniel Berc, Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“While we normally have this high sun angle, allowing for maximum solar heating, most summers would have had the monsoon happening by now,” Mr. Berc said.

Mr. Berc said the monsoon season brings additional atmospheric moisture to the area to allow for cooler temperatures.

Worst Is Yet To Come

Even so, it takes more solar energy to heat moist air than dry air, “so temperatures are usually a bit cooler when monsoon moisture is in place,” he told The Epoch Times.

He said high atmospheric pressure is another factor in heat waves of this magnitude.

“With higher pressure comes fewer clouds, or no clouds, which allows the sun to heat the ground and lower atmosphere more efficiently.”

According to the NWS, intense high pressure will continue to build across the southwestern states over the next week.

A man cools off under a cloud of mist during one of the worst heat waves on record in Phoenix, Ariz., on July 11, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

“This high-pressure system results in a hot and dry air mass across the region. The hot temperatures will become even hotter as this high pressure strengthens [unseasonably strong] into this weekend. Well above normal temperatures are expected.”

Weather forecasters expect the worst heat to peak July 15 through July 17, though daily record high temperatures could be in jeopardy from California to Texas.

“The hottest temperatures will likely be across southeastern California into central Arizona where highs will climb into the 115-120 degrees,” the weather service reported.

Tom Frieders, NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist in Phoenix, said the unseasonably intense areas of high pressure also are suppressing monsoon thunderstorms that typically begin to form across the region, “which would offer some cooling effects to the heat.”

“These factors combine to produce this potential record heatwave,” he said.

Phoenix has endured nearly two weeks of scorching weather, though July 11 threatened temperatures of 110 degrees or higher.

Heat waves rise near a warning sign on in Death Valley National Park, on July 14, 2013. David McNew/Getty Images

“The record for consecutive days at 110 or higher is 18, Mr. Frieders said.

With the powerful heatwave expected to continue into early next week, expect to set new high-temperature records, Frieders told The Epoch Times.

“Very little relief is expected into next week as the high pressure remains in control. It will take a pattern change producing monsoon storms to bring relief to the region.

“Right now, we are not seeing this pattern change for at least the next seven to 10 days, but we are monitoring closely.”

Seated on a bench at a bus stop on 1st Street, Douglas from the United Kingdom was ready for July 11’s killer heat with bottled water.

The temperature was 105 degrees even in the shade where he sat.

“It was about this temperature last summer in the UK for a few days,” Douglas told The Epoch Times. “Probably a bit more frequent here.”

At Andre House Hospitality Center on 11th Avenue in Phoenix, clients and passersby basked in the cool watery spray of “misters” that ran nonstop on July 11.

Jay Minich, the Catholic charity’s director of finance and administration, said the organization installed the misters in 2021 to help people less fortunate beat the summer heat.

Misters spray water to help people stay cool during hot weather at Andre House, a nonprofit charity based in Phoenix, Ariz., on July 11, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

“In terms of heat, it’s hard to say” whether 2023 is the worst heat wave to date, Mr. Minich said.

“Last year wasn’t too bad, comparatively,” he said. “We [often] get days over 110.”

Mr. Minich said while the city’s heat relief efforts have gotten better with cooling stations placed for the homeless and disadvantaged at strategic locations, Andre House contributes by providing jugs and Igloo coolers containing fresh water.

The organization also received a grant from the city to purchase cooling towels, insulated backpacks, and blankets to protect against the hot pavement and sidewalks.

“It’s hot in the city with the blacktop,” Mr. Minich told The Epoch Times.

“It starts cooling off at 11 or [midnight]. It doesn’t start to feel comfortable until 2 a.m.”

“Once it cools off around November, we shut [the misters] off. Frankly, it’s tough to be out in the elements during any season,” Mr. Minich said.

Volunteers and Multnomah County employees unload cases of water to supply a 24-hour cooling center set up in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 11, 2021. Gillian Flaccus/AP Photo

“You’re sleeping on the pavement. You’re in survival mode. That’s the condition of being homeless.”

The NWS said heat is the number one weather-related killer in the United States, with the dry, desert southwest especially vulnerable.

Record Fatalities

“Last year, a record 671 fatalities were noted in Arizona alone. During these hazardous heat waves, everyone needs to be cautious in the heat.”

Mr. Berc said his advice for the public would be to stay indoors in an air-conditioned space during the hottest part of the day.

Wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing if you must go outside, hydrate often [and] avoid caffeinated beverages.

“Remember your pets and keep them indoors as much as possible,” Mr. Berc said.

Mr. Berc added that people often go to the mountains to escape the heat, but with a heat wave of significant duration and magnitude, “it can even be dangerously hot in the mountains, so be prepared and stay close to an air-conditioned space.”