NEW YORK, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Phoenix, the capital city of U.S. state of Arizona, has reached a milestone, marking its 100th straight day with temperatures of at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday, meteorologists said.
"We're going to continue that streak for the next several days," Gabriel Lojero, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Phoenix, was quoted by The New York Times as saying on Wednesday. "The overall pattern continues to suggest warmer-than-normal temperatures."
The NWS said on social media that it was the longest streak on record for the city. The previous record was set in 1993, at 76 straight days.
This year's meteorological summer -- June, July and August -- was also the hottest on record for Phoenix, with an average temperature of 98.9 degrees Fahrenheit. According to Lojero, it was a "significant" mark because it was nearly two degrees higher than last year's average, 97 degrees Fahrenheit, which was also a record.
More than 30 million people across the U.S. Southwest, particularly large portions of Arizona and Southern California, were under an excessive heat warning Wednesday morning.
That warning will be in effect for Phoenix until Friday evening, with dangerously hot temperatures up to 118 degrees Fahrenheit expected to blanket the city.
The NWS warned that heat-related illnesses significantly increase during intense heat, and suggested residents take extra precautions if they intend to work or spend time outdoors. ■
