Arizona heat

Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 15 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 2,676 heat records in Arizona from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 120 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 11, 2023 excessive heat in Maricopa County: 240 deaths across 8 records. Arizona ranks 7th of 51 states and territories by count and 20th of 50 per square mile.

Heat in Arizona, 1996 to 2026

Heat records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

recorded, no damage figure
under $1 million
$1 million or more
$10 million or more
$100 million or more, or 10 deaths
$1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
a year with a death

Records: 2,6761996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000: 120average
Deaths: 2,815143 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $32Kas filed
Busiest year: 2020495 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are heat records common in Arizona?

Arizona averages about 120 heat records a year since 2000, 7th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2020 (495). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Arizona records 235 heat records since 1996, 20th of 50 states and territories by that measure.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Arizona have the most heat records?

Per square mile, Santa Cruz County leads Arizona: 68 days with a heat record since 1996, 55.0 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Maricopa County has the most heat records (1,323 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

Santa Cruz County 55.0 (72)
Maricopa County 43.0 (1,323)
Pima County 32.9 (490)
Pinal County 26.1 (337)
Greenlee County 24.4 (46)
Cochise County 12.1 (100)
La Paz County 12.0 (122)
Graham County 11.5 (59)
Yuma County 8.5 (146)
Gila County 8.4 (114)
Mohave County 5.0 (162)
Yavapai County 0.7 (7)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the heat season in Arizona?

56% of its heat records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (773 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 1 · Feb 0 · Mar 9 · Apr 48 · May 140 · Jun 628 · Jul 773 · Aug 724 · Sep 332 · Oct 21 · Nov 0 · Dec 0 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest heat records in Arizona?

Arizona: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
Date	Record	Killed	Damage
2023-07-11	Excessive HeatMaricopa County · forecast zone Central Phoenix One storm episode: 8 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A very strong ridge of high pressure strengthened over the Desert Southwest during the middle part of the month, resulting in well above normal temperatures and excessive heat conditions. Afternoon high temperatures in Phoenix during this time period ranged between 111-119 degrees, tying or breaking daily record highs ...	240	–
2023-07-23	Excessive HeatMaricopa County · forecast zone Central Phoenix One storm episode: 7 records in 3 places, 2023-07-23 to 2023-07-25; the totals are the episode's. A persistent strong ridge of high pressure over the region led to well above normal temperatures for the end of July. Afternoon highs during this time exceeded 110 degrees each day in Phoenix with the 25th recording a high of 119 degrees. Record high temperatures were set on the 24-26th and the 29th. According to the ...	114	–
2022-07-21	Excessive HeatMaricopa County · forecast zone Central Phoenix One storm episode: 15 records, 2022-07-21 to 2022-07-23; the totals are the episode's. An anomalously strong ridge of high pressure over the Desert Southwest persisted into the latter part of July, leading to temperatures in excess of 110 degrees in Phoenix most days during this time. Temperatures during this time period peaked on the 22nd with Phoenix Sky Harbor recording a high of 114 degrees. ...	81	–
2023-07-14	Excessive HeatPima County · forecast zone Tucson Metro Area One storm episode: 8 records in 7 places, 2023-07-14 to 2023-07-18; the totals are the episode's. Persistent strong high pressure aloft created an extended period of very hot temperatures July 14-30 across southeast Arizona. High temperatures were 5 to 14 degrees above normal causing the Major Heat Risk category to be reached and numerous high temperatures to be established. Several dozen heat-related fatalities ...	66	–
2022-07-14	HeatMaricopa County · forecast zone Central Phoenix One storm episode: 12 records, 2022-07-14 to 2022-07-18; the totals are the episode's. A strong upper level ridge situated over the Desert Southwest led to well above normal temperatures along with excessive heat conditions at times. Temperatures during this time at Phoenix Sky Harbor peaked on the 16th at 114 degrees. According to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, 64 heat-associated ...	64	–
2021-06-12	Excessive HeatMaricopa County · forecast zone Central Phoenix One storm episode: 7 records; the totals are the episode's. A strong upper level ridge strengthened over the Desert Southwest during the middle part of June with the center of high pressure becoming focused over the Four Corners region. As a result, temperatures warmed up well above normal reaching excessive heat conditions. High temperatures climbed at or above 115 degrees ...	56	–
2022-07-10	Excessive HeatMaricopa County · forecast zone Central Phoenix One storm episode: 16 records, 2022-07-10 to 2022-07-13; the totals are the episode's. A strong ridge of high pressure became situated over the Four Corners region, leading to dangerous temperatures as well as excessive heat conditions at times across the Phoenix area. Afternoon highs in Phoenix climbed well above normal during this time with temperatures peaking on the 11th at 115 degrees. Overnight ...	53	–
2023-08-04	Excessive HeatMaricopa County · forecast zone Central Phoenix One storm episode: 16 records in 2 places, 2023-08-04 to 2023-08-05; the totals are the episode's. A strong ridge of high pressure over the Southern Plains expanded westward into the Desert Southwest, leading to excessive heat conditions across the region. Record high temperatures were set on the 5th (116 degrees) and the 6th (114 degrees) in Phoenix, while record warm low temperatures were set on the 2nd (93 ...	52	–
2021-07-09	Excessive HeatMaricopa County · forecast zone Central Phoenix One storm episode: 14 records; the totals are the episode's. Strong high pressure encompassing the Desert Southwest led to above normal temperatures, with excessive heat conditions occurring across the Phoenix area between the 9th and 11th. At Phoenix Sky Harbor, temperatures climbed above 110 degrees for six consecutive days between the 6th and 11th, with the warmest highs ...	49	–
2020-07-10	Excessive HeatMaricopa County · forecast zone Central Phoenix One storm episode: 3 records, 2020-07-10 to 2020-07-14; the totals are the episode's. A very strong area of high pressure strengthened over the southwest United States, leading to excessive heat conditions across the region. Temperatures in Phoenix exceeded 110 degrees each day with afternoon highs reaching or exceeding 115 degrees on the 11th and the 12th. According to the Maricopa County Department ...	47	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

Are heat records becoming more frequent in Arizona?

Arizona's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Heat: Arizona and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
Decade	Arizona	United States	Arizona's share
1996-99	0	4,355	0
2000s	19	9,163	0.2%
2010s	775	16,445	4.7%
2020-26	1,882	26,796	7.0%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent heat records in Arizona

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
Date	Record	Killed	Damage
2026-06-30	HeatPima County · forecast zone Tucson Metro Area	2	–
2026-06-29	HeatPima County · forecast zone Tucson Metro Area	1	–
2026-06-27	HeatPima County · forecast zone Tucson Metro Area	2	–
2026-06-26	Excessive HeatCochise County and 3 more · forecast zone Upper San Pedro River Valley	1	–
2026-06-24	Excessive HeatPima County · forecast zone Tucson Metro Area	1	–
2026-06-24	Excessive HeatCochise County and 3 more · forecast zone Upper San Pedro River Valley	2	–
2026-06-23	Excessive HeatPima County · forecast zone Tucson Metro Area	1	–
2026-06-22	HeatPima County · forecast zone Tucson Metro Area	5	–
2026-06-20	HeatPima County and Pinal County · forecast zone Tohono O Odham Nation	1	–
2026-06-20	HeatPima County · forecast zone Tucson Metro Area	1	–
2026-06-19	HeatPima County · forecast zone Western Pima County	1	–
2026-06-17	HeatPima County and Pinal County · forecast zone Tohono O Odham Nation	1	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.