Arizona, 2022

Excessive Heat and Heat in Arizona, August 29 to 31, 2022

August 29 to 31, 2022 · NWS PSR · 18 events in 17 counties and zones

A strong ridge of high pressure over the western CONUS resulted in excessive heat conditions across the Phoenix area for the end of August. Temperatures at Phoenix Sky Harbor topped out at 111 degrees on the 30th, while low temperatures near 90 degrees provided little overnight relief from the heat.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 18 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
9
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
18

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS PSR wrote it up.

A strong ridge of high pressure over the western CONUS resulted in excessive heat conditions across the Phoenix area for the end of August. Temperatures at Phoenix Sky Harbor topped out at 111 degrees on the 30th, while low temperatures near 90 degrees provided little overnight relief from the heat. Above normal temperatures continued into the start of September. According to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, 9 heat-associated fatalities occurred during this event.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Phoenix, AZ wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 28, 10:24 PM MST, 1 hour 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 28, 10:24 PM MST, 1 hour 36 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

17 excessive heat, 1 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Central Phoenix

When
August 29, 12:00 AM MST to 11:59 PM MST
Where
Central Phoenix forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
33.349, -112.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One direct fatality was reported by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, with their details, such as age, gender, circumstances, and exact location unavailable.

Excessive Heat, Central Phoenix

When
August 30, 10:00 AM MST to August 31, 8:00 PM MST
Where
Central Phoenix forecast zone
Deaths
4 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
33.349, -112.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Four direct fatalities were reported by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, with their details, such as age, gender, circumstances, and exact location unavailable.

Excessive Heat, Scottsdale/Paradise Valley

When
August 30, 10:00 AM MST to August 31, 8:00 PM MST
Where
Scottsdale/Paradise Valley forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
33.349, -112.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One direct fatality was reported by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, with their details, such as age, gender, circumstances, and exact location unavailable.

Excessive Heat, East Valley

When
August 30, 10:00 AM MST to August 31, 8:00 PM MST
Where
East Valley forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
33.349, -112.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One direct fatality was reported by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, with their details, such as age, gender, circumstances, and exact location unavailable.

Excessive Heat, Buckeye/Avondale

When
August 30, 10:00 AM MST to August 31, 8:00 PM MST
Where
Buckeye/Avondale forecast zone
Deaths
2 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
33.349, -112.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two direct fatalities were reported by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, with their details, such as age, gender, circumstances, and exact location unavailable.

Excessive Heat, Kofa

When
August 30, 10:00 AM MST to August 31, 8:00 PM MST
Where
Kofa forecast zone
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
33.249, -113.943 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Excessive Heat, Yuma

When
August 30, 10:00 AM MST to August 31, 8:00 PM MST
Where
Yuma forecast zone
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
32.769, -113.906 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Excessive Heat, Central la Paz

When
August 30, 10:00 AM MST to August 31, 8:00 PM MST
Where
Central la Paz forecast zone
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
33.729, -113.981 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Excessive Heat, Southeast Yuma County

When
August 30, 10:00 AM MST to August 31, 8:00 PM MST
Where
Southeast Yuma County forecast zone
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
32.769, -113.906 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Excessive Heat, Gila River Valley

When
August 30, 10:00 AM MST to August 31, 8:00 PM MST
Where
Gila River Valley forecast zone
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
32.769, -113.906 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Excessive Heat, Northwest Valley

When
August 30, 10:00 AM MST to August 31, 8:00 PM MST
Where
Northwest Valley forecast zone
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
33.349, -112.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Excessive Heat, Cave Creek/New River

When
August 30, 10:00 AM MST to August 31, 8:00 PM MST
Where
Cave Creek/New River forecast zone
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
33.349, -112.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Excessive Heat, Deer Valley

When
August 30, 10:00 AM MST to August 31, 8:00 PM MST
Where
Deer Valley forecast zone
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
33.349, -112.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Excessive Heat, North Phoenix/Glendale

When
August 30, 10:00 AM MST to August 31, 8:00 PM MST
Where
North Phoenix/Glendale forecast zone
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
33.349, -112.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Excessive Heat, Fountain Hills/East Mesa

When
August 30, 10:00 AM MST to August 31, 8:00 PM MST
Where
Fountain Hills/East Mesa forecast zone
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
33.349, -112.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Excessive Heat, South Mountain/Ahwatukee

When
August 30, 10:00 AM MST to August 31, 8:00 PM MST
Where
South Mountain/Ahwatukee forecast zone
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
33.349, -112.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Excessive Heat, Southeast Valley/Queen Creek

When
August 30, 10:00 AM MST to August 31, 8:00 PM MST
Where
Southeast Valley/Queen Creek forecast zone
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
33.349, -112.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Excessive Heat, Parker Valley

When
August 30, 10:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where
Parker Valley forecast zone
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
33.729, -113.981 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Heat, Central Phoenix2022-08-29UnknownDirect
Excessive Heat, Central Phoenix2022-08-30UnknownDirect
Excessive Heat, Central Phoenix2022-08-30UnknownDirect
Excessive Heat, Central Phoenix2022-08-31UnknownDirect
Excessive Heat, Central Phoenix2022-08-31UnknownDirect
Excessive Heat, Scottsdale/Paradise Valley2022-08-31UnknownDirect
Excessive Heat, East Valley2022-08-31UnknownDirect
Excessive Heat, Buckeye/Avondale2022-08-30UnknownDirect
Excessive Heat, Buckeye/Avondale2022-08-30UnknownDirect

What these are

Heat
Heat below excessive heat criteria that still caused deaths, injuries or significant impacts.
Excessive Heat
Heat at or above the local excessive heat warning criteria, or heat that caused deaths.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Arizona in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Arizona, August 2022

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1148966, 1148967, 1148970, 1148971, 1148972, 1149163, 1149164, 1149165, 1149166, 1149167, 1149169, 1149170, 1149171, 1149172, 1149173, 1149174, 1149175, 1149227.