Why the National Weather Service takes temperature readings at Sky Harbor
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Heat and wind speed are critical for aviation decisions. Photo: Caitlin O'Hara/Getty Images
This summer's heat wave has left the entire Valley sweltering, but the record-setting numbers that have come to define it come from one particular spot in the Phoenix metro area — Sky Harbor International Airport.
State of play: Sky Harbor has been the National Weather Service's official climate reporting site in Phoenix since 1953, NWS meteorologist Matt Salerno tells Axios Phoenix.
- Other organizations, including the FAA and Salt River Project, have weather stations around the Valley, Salerno said, but Sky Harbor is the only official NWS site.
Why it matters: Keeping the climate station in the same place allows NWS to make consistent comparisons from year to year.
- They use 30-year running averages that would be thrown off if the station were moved.
Plus: Heat, wind speed and other meteorological factors are critical for aviation decisions, so NWS takes readings at the airports in most major metro areas, Salerno says.
Between the lines: Temperatures and other weather conditions can vary between different parts of the Valley. Because it's in the flat, open river valley, temperatures at Sky Harbor tend to run 3-5 degrees hotter than in surrounding areas, Salerno says, and can be as much as 5-10 degrees hotter than outlying areas like south Chandler and Queen Creek.
- Areas like north Scottsdale and Cave Creek also have higher elevations, which keep temperatures relatively cooler.
Context: The Valley has broken multiple records during this summer's heat wave, including the most consecutive days with high temperatures at or above 110 degrees and with low temperatures at or above 90 degrees.
- Heat waves are becoming more intense, longer-lasting and more frequent due to human-caused climate change.
The intrigue: Climate change skeptics have scoffed at coverage of the heat wave.
- Some have questioned the validity of the temperature records, given the discrepancy between the Sky Harbor readings and lower highs in other parts of the Valley.
Yes, but: The heat wave is still very real.
- Arizona's statewide average temperature in July was 85.7 degrees, which shattered the state's record for the highest monthly average temperature of 84.1 degrees, set in August 2020.
- It's not just Arizona — the heat wave has enveloped other parts of the country and even the globe, with climate scientists declaring July 2023 to be the hottest recorded month in earth's history.
- "I know people like to get upset or all up in arms about it. But it's not like we're trying to make it seem hotter than it actually is. It really is that hot," Salerno says.
The big picture: The conditions and landscape around Sky Harbor have changed through the years, but maintaining the official station at the airport allows climatologists to consistently track changes, such as those caused by the heat island effect that comes with increased urbanization, the state's climatologist, Erinanne Saffell, tells Axios Phoenix.