Phoenix City, in the state of Arizona, is on the verge of breaking another record for extreme weather—this time the longest period without rain—as drought conditions worsen across Arizona.
As of Saturday, January 25, 2025, there had been no recorded rainfall in the fifth largest city in America for 154 consecutive days—the second longest recorded drought as the climate crisis collides with natural weather patterns, as reported by The Guardian.
The National Weather Service (NWS) station at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport recorded the last measurable rainfall on August 22, 2024. There is a slight chance of rain on Sunday night, but under the current La Niña conditions, which tend to make the southwestern United States drier and cooler, it is possible to break the current record of 160 dry days, set in 1972.
Katherine Perislavich, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Phoenix, said, "This is the desert, so it's not unusual for it not to rain, but it's taken a long time... We are in a drought... We broke all kinds of heat records last summer due to the lack of rain and no cloud cover to keep temperatures cooler."
Phoenix is a sunny desert city with an average annual rainfall of 7.2 inches, according to NWS data over the past thirty years. In 2024, there were only 4.5 inches after poor monsoons and no winter rain. The annual rainfall has been below average for the past six years.
Drought conditions increase the risk of wildfires and crop failures, threatening water sources and plants that wildlife depend on. In the surrounding Sonoran Desert, cactus plants are drooping, and the natural water basins that wildlife and migrants rely on are suffering from drought. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, conditions in Arizona range from abnormal drought to severe drought.
The year 2024 was the hottest ever recorded on Earth, surprising even climate scientists who have long warned of the threats of global warming.
In Phoenix, dozens of records have been shattered, including the longest heat wave ever, with 113 consecutive days above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) and 39 days when nighttime temperatures did not drop below 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius). The effects of the heat are cumulative, and the body does not begin to recover until temperatures drop below 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.7 degrees Celsius).
Heat-related deaths in Phoenix have increased over the past decade, as global warming caused by fossil fuel burning has made the hottest city in America unlivable for some. Last year, the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office investigated 657 suspected heat-related deaths—four fewer than in 2023 but a tenfold increase compared to confirmed deaths in 2014.
Brenda Ekwurzel, director of climate science at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said, "We just came out of the hottest year on record, and the current drought conditions in Phoenix indicate a convergence of natural seasonal weather patterns with the climate crisis... This is the desert, but if it doesn't rain, that's a real problem... it increases the likelihood of deadly heat waves in the summer."
Dangerous heat waves have become longer in Phoenix, and many of the daily high-temperature records broken in 2024 occurred in September and October when temperatures continued to reach three degrees Fahrenheit.
Conditions in Phoenix, the hottest major U.S. city, could worsen. In the first week of his return to the White House, Trump issued a series of executive orders that would deepen the climate crisis by boosting the fossil fuel industry while hindering the renewable energy sector and withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate agreements.
