Excessive heat returns to the Phoenix area this weekend

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - The ridge of high pressure slowly moving east along the southern border of Arizona continues to lock out any additional moisture getting into the state. Effectively, outside of a few showers in extreme southeast Arizona, there will be no rain through the weekend. In the Valley, we’re expecting record-setting highs on Saturday and Sunday, as we’ve issued a First Alert for extreme heat on both days. While the record for both days is 111 degrees, we’re forecast to be 112-113 degrees on Saturday and Sunday. For sure, getting to 110 degrees is a lock.

After bringing us two very hot days this weekend, the ridge of high pressure will continue to move to the west but weaken rapidly next week, allowing some additional moisture into Arizona. On Sunday, we will probably see some high and mid-level clouds off of what will then be Tropical Storm Jova. It’s moving northwest well out to sea and, aside from the high clouds, will have no real impact on Arizona’s weather.

Next week, we’ll watch highs drop from 109 on Monday to 103 by next Thursday as humidity levels increase. We’ll also start to see more thunderstorm activity in the mountains.

On this date in 1982, a large dust storm caused a 16-vehicle pile-up on I-10 near Casa Grande. One person was killed, and the highway was shut down for hours.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.