Arizona names first chief heat officer

State of play: The position is part of Gov. Katie Hobbs' newly released Extreme Heat Preparedness Plan, which also calls for:

• Six new mobile cooling centers constructed from shipping containers.
• Using state-owned buildings as cooling centers.
• Funding for more overnight heat respite sites.

Zoom in: Livar will coordinate with the state, county health departments, cities, private businesses and nonprofits to execute this summer's heat plan and pursue longer-term solutions.

What they're saying: "What I heard time and again from everyday Arizonans was that our state's old approach was not enough," Hobbs said in a statement.

Flashback: The longest heat wave ever recorded in the Valley kept high temperatures at or above 110 degrees from June 30 to July 30.

• Hobbs declared an emergency 12 days after the heat wave ended and only then opened two state-run cooling centers.

What we're watching: This year could be even hotter than 2023, climate scientists told Axios' Andrew Freedman.

• A hotter 2024 would lend credence to the hypothesis that global warming is accelerating.