FORECAST: Air quality alert!

PHOENIX — Hot and dry weather continues for the next few days!

Look for Valley highs in the low 100s through Friday as high pressure remains firmly in control.

On average, Phoenix sees its last 100-degree day in early October, but there are some years the triple-digit heat hangs on until just days before Halloween.

Overnight lows will remain unseasonably warm too, only cooling into the upper 70s to low 80s each day.

It will be even hotter in western Arizona. An Extreme Heat Warning is in effect Wednesday through Friday for Yuma and the Lower Colorado River Valley, where highs could reach near record levels.

With lighter winds and abundant sunshine in the Valley, ozone pollution is building up.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has issued an Ozone High Pollution Advisory for Wednesday. That means air quality will be unhealthy for kids, older adults and anyone with respiratory issues like asthma or COPD. Limit your time outside in the afternoon hours, or you may have difficulty breathing.

We’re also tracking Hurricane Rachel in the Eastern Pacific. Moisture from Rachel will team up with an incoming storm system to bring rain chances back to Arizona as early as Saturday evening, with the best chances Sunday and Monday.

A few thunderstorms are possible Saturday night and Sunday. Windy conditions are also likely Sunday afternoon, with gusts near 40 mph.

Parts of the Valley could pick up around half an inch of rain by Tuesday. That is a lot of rain for October in Phoenix.

It will also bring much cooler weather. Valley highs drop from the mid 90s Saturday to the 80s Sunday and Monday.

Highs could fall into the upper 70s by Tuesday!

More Impact Earth stories:

2026 Sky Harbor Official Rainfall to date: 2.78″ (-2.70″ from average)

Monsoon 2026 Sky Harbor Official Rainfall: 2.46″ (+0.03″ from average)
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Daily rainfall reports from all across the Valley can be found here.
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PHOENIX IS GETTING DRIER – LOWER RAINFALL AVERAGES NOW

Average Monsoon Rainfall in Phoenix (1981-2010): 2.71″ of rain

NEW Average Monsoon Rainfall in Phoenix (1991-2020): 2.43″ of rain

Average Yearly Rainfall in Phoenix (1981-2010): 8:03″ of rain