How Phoenix is coping with record summer heat

Locked in a record-breaking streak of 25 consecutive days with temperatures over 110 degrees Fahrenheit, residents of Phoenix, America's hottest city, are struggling to endure conditions that scientists say will become more common thanks to climate change.

Researchers at World Weather Attribution said Tuesday that the extreme July heat wave that has gripped the Southwestern United States, and another in Southern Europe, would be "virtually impossible" without climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

“Had there been no climate change, such an event would almost never have occurred,” Mariam Zachariah, a climate scientist at Imperial College London and the lead author of the study, told the Associated Press.

Valley of the Sun

Daily temperature records in Phoenix have continued to be set over recent weeks. On Monday, the city recorded a high of 116°F, tying the record set in 2018. Sunday offered a limited reprieve, with a high temperature of 114 that broke a streak of six consecutive days of temperatures above 115. In fact, Phoenix has been under an excessive heat warning posted by the National Weather Service since July 1.

The city has also set new records for the hottest low temperature it has ever recorded when the mercury fell to a nighttime low of 97°F last Wednesday, hours before Phoenix notched a record high of 119.

"This summer has set some tough records," Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego told CBS News on Sunday.

Flight delays

The extreme heat has caused ground stoppages at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and airlines have sought to limit the amount of weight on planes so they can safely take off. During extreme heat events, air molecules expand, making it harder for airplanes to achieve lift.

“That’s why extreme heat makes it harder for planes to take off — and in some really extreme conditions that can become impossible altogether,” Paul Williams, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading in the U.K., told CNN.

In all, some 300 flights were delayed or canceled in recent days.

Concerts canceled, Botanical Garden closed

The temperatures have been so hot in Phoenix that some outdoor events have had to be scrapped. A Saturday night concert by the group Disturbed was canceled due to the heat.

Desert Botanical Garden also announced it would close early on Wednesday and Thursday due to the ongoing extreme heat.

Health risks

Yet many blue-collar workers continue to labor in dangerous temperatures. A 26-year-old farmworker in Yuma County died last week after working in 116°F heat, Arizona Central reported.

Scorching pavement and metal surfaces have also resulted in numerous reports of serious burns this month.

“Summers are our busy season, so we anticipate that this sort of thing is going to happen. But this is really unusual — the number of patients that we’re seeing and the severity of injuries — the acuity of injuries is much higher,” Dr. Kevin Foster, director of burn services at Valleywise Health’s Arizona Burn Center, told CNN.

Rationing air conditioning

As a result of the soaring temperatures, Phoenix has been setting records for electricity usage as residents attempt to stay cool using air conditioning. But due to that demand, and the need to keep air conditioners running 24/7, electricity bills have spiked, leading some residents to ration their use.

So far the power grid has held up, but a recent study found that if Phoenix were to experience rolling blackouts during a heat wave, it could lead to as many as 12,000 deaths.

Wildlife in danger

The extreme heat is also proving too much for many of the animals that call the Phoenix area home. Birds, chipmunks, opossums and even desert tortoises have been affected.

"We've got new buildings going up, we've got asphalt going in. There's less places for them to find to cool off," Laura Hackett, a biologist at Liberty Wildlife, which cares for sick, injured or orphaned animals, told the Washington Post.

"When we get to the really high, extreme temperatures and we know that it's going to stay above 110 for many, many days in a row, or get even higher than that, we actually ask our volunteers to literally just come in and just hose our birds down."