The hottest weather of the season so far is on its way for regions in the southwestern United States. Although many regions in the West experienced near-normal temperatures at the beginning of the week, weather forecasters have predicted a major weather change.
Forecasters have said that many areas in the region will experience unseasonable warmth by the weekend, with a few regions experiencing triple-digit temperatures that are more typical of early July.
This return to summer-like weather conditions is likely to begin during the weekend over much of the western half of the United States. In inland regions like Oregon, Idaho, New Mexico, and Arizona, temperatures could rise several degrees above what is considered normal for this time of the year – especially on Sunday. For cities like Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, and Phoenix, temperatures are forecast to rise between 6 and 12 degrees north of what is normally expected.
The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat watch for regions in southwestern Arizona and southeastern California. The heat watch will start on Sunday and continue till June 16.
Temperatures in both Salt Lake City and Phoenix are forecast to rise significantly and create new temperature records. If Salt Lake City hits 100 F on Sunday as predicted, it will tie the daily record that was recorded way back in 1918. The building warmth is only expected to become more intense during early next week. By the middle of next week, some areas in the Southwest may really start to sizzle at unusual levels for this time of the year.
Weather forecasters have said that although warm temperatures in the triple digits are not uncommon for regions like Phoenix, this level of heat is unusual for this time of the year, given that it is more akin to what these regions experience in July.
