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Most popular US city Phoenix smashes heat streak record

The desert city of Phoenix, Arizona, suffered a record 113 straight days with temperature levels over 100 Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) this year, resulting in hundreds of heatrelated deaths and more acres burned by wildfire across the state, authorities said.

The city of 1.6 million locals, the biggest in the Sonoran desert, had its hottest-ever summertime, breaking the previous 2023 record by almost two degrees, according to the National Weather Condition Service.

The 113-day streak reached recently smashed Phoenix's. previous record of 76-straight-days over 100 F set in 1993.

It's really uncommon that we see, particularly two summer seasons in a. row, two record breaking summertimes like we simply experienced, said. Matt Salerno, meteorologist at the National Weather Condition Service. Phoenix office.

Heat has killed 256 individuals so far this year in Phoenix's. Maricopa County and is the thought cause of 393 other deaths,. according to official information. That puts the county on track to. go beyond a record 645 heat deaths in 2023.

Around half of deaths are of unsheltered individuals, the. county's most susceptible group.

Deaths peaked in July when Phoenix had regular highs of 118. F, a trend environment scientists credit to international warming from. nonrenewable fuel source contamination.

Over the last 5 years the city has averaged 40 days of. 110 degrees or higher compared to about 5 days in that. range at the start of the last century, according to the. Arizona State Environment Office.

The severe heat has led to a statewide boost in acreage. burned by wildfire in 2024 compared with in 2015, according to. the office's director Erinanne Saffell.

A climate-related mix of record winter rainfall. and summer heat sustained wildfires around Los Angeles in recent. weeks.

(source: Reuters)