Lingering hot weather in October is nothing new to long-time Arizona residents. With highs forecasted near 100 for the next few days, the potential for breaking daily records is possible.   

Hector Vasquez, a Meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said a large low pressure system is making it’s ways up the Baja Coast and is causing the inconsistent weather system. 

“It’s actually lifting warmer air from Mexico into Arizona and it’s piling it up and the atmosphere is becoming thick. So it’s dynamically enforced, this thicker atmosphere, due to that low pressure system. Otherwise I don’t think that it would be this warm,”  Vasquez said. 

With rain the forecast Thursday, Vasquez said breaking the record October high of 107 set in 1980 is improbable. However, this warm weather is normal for this time in October.   

“When you look at the forecast here in Arizona, they’re usually about 10 or 12 degrees above normal. There’s not a lot of variability but, when you look at the records in the Midwest and East, they’re about 25 to 30 degrees above normal,” Vasquez said. 

The latest 100 degree day recorded in Arizona was on October 23,2003. While highs near 100 degrees are forecasted through Wednesday, Vasquez said it’s unlikely Phoenix will break the record this year. 

“It looks like we’re pretty much done for the 100 degree temperatures going into next week. And I doubt if we’ll get up to 100 past October 23rd,” he said. 

The low pressure system causing the warmer weather is also expected to bring in cooler temperatures towards the ends of the week along with post-monsoon season rain.