Phoenix tops out at 106 breaking 70-year-old record

Temperatures in Phoenix have reached a new high, breaking a 70-year-old record.

National Weather Service meteorologists say the desert city hit the 106-degree mark (41 degrees Celsius) just after noon.

With an excessive heat warning in effect, meteorologists predicted Phoenix could hit 108 degrees (42 degrees Celsius) before the afternoon was over. But they say thick clouds kept temperatures down.

The previous record high for May 6 was 105 degrees (40.6 degrees Celsius) in 1947.

At 106, it’s 14 degrees above normal for the date.

The Salvation Army has activated heat relief stations to provide water and cooling for people.

Maricopa County Department of Public Health officials say there have been nearly 1,000 heat-associated deaths since Arizona’s most populous county began its heat surveillance project in 2006.

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