Scorching heatwave hits the Parker area Monday

The National Weather Service has issued a series of warnings and watch alerts in advance of a significant heatwave which began Monday and is set to last throughout the week. This extreme weather event is expected to challenge some records.

The peak will be Monday through Thursday, when the Parker area is forecast to reach high temps of between 118 and 124 degrees in the afternoons. But most of California and Arizona will be suffering along with us as the whole region will be under what meteorologists call a “heat dome”, an expanding and strengthening area of high pressure in the upper atmosphere.

Its epicenter will be the state of Arizona, where the temps will be watched closely to see if Sky Harbor’s record high temp of 122 holds up, and where normally cool mountain cities like Flagstaff will get close to the triple digits (up to 96 degrees is forecast for Wednesday).

Here in Parker, reaching 120 degrees is rare, despite many claims to the contrary. It happens only when multiple meteorological factors are perfectly aligned, and interestingly, occurred around this same time in 2016 with a similar heat dome ahead of monsoon season.

Sunday’s high temp was 116 degrees, with areas like Palmdale, CA experiencing record-setting heat and anticipating worse to come.

The National Weather Service urges people to stay in air-conditioned spaces as much as possible, avoiding the outdoors between 10am and 4pm as much as possible, staying hydrated, looking after pets and vulnerable neighbors, and helping each other out.