We did it. We made it to 100 degrees for the first time this year Tuesday afternoon. Yay? Nobody seems terribly excited about reaching this benchmark, especially this early in the year. 

On average, we don't see our first triple digit day until early May. This year actually tied for the fourth earliest date on record we've hit that mark. So what does this mean for our summer?

According to Paul Iniguez at the National Weather Service, there's a correlation between early heat and how many 100+ degree days we see every year.  According to this data, we can expect between 102 and 126 days of triple digit heat this year. 

MOBILE/APP USERS:  CLICK HERE TO SEE PAUL INIGUEZ'S TWEET ABOUT THE HEAT

Iniguez says this correlation is a reflection of the long-term trend of warmer and broader heat seasons. This number is also pretty close to normal for the last 30 years, when we've seen an average of 110 days of triple digit heat each year. However, if you look at the average going back to the 1890s, when weather records start for the Valley, it's closer to 92 days each year.

When it comes to the VERY hot days,  we see an average of 18 days each summer that top out at 110 degrees or higher. The first time we see that temperature is typically around June 10th.

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Looking ahead to this summer, there's a decent chance we'll see an above average number of both 100+ and 110+ degree days. Long term models that predicted this warm spring are trending toward a warmer than average summer as well. Here's a look at the Climate Prediction Center's outlook for June, July and August.

MOBILE/APP USERS:  CLICK HERE TO SEE NOAA'S IMAGE OF THE SUMMER TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK

In terms of rain this summer, the CPC outlook calls for an equal chance of below or above average precipitation for June through August. 

MOBILE/APP USERS:  CLICK HERE TO SEE NOAA'S OUTLOOK FOR SUMMER PRECIPITATION

Let's cross our fingers for some decent monsoon moisture this year!  We certainly need it after the drought conditions that we've seen worsen this past winter and spring here in Arizona. 

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