The Latest: Temps in Phoenix hit new record high of 100

PHOENIX – The Latest on a heat wave sweeping Arizona in the month of October (all times local):

2:55 p.m.

A heat wave that has hit Phoenix hard this month has reached new, sweltering heights.

The National Weather Service says the high temperature reached 100 degrees by mid-afternoon Thursday.

It’s a new record high for Oct. 27, beating the previous record of 98 degrees set in 2001.

It also marks the latest date after summer that Phoenix has hit triple digits.

The area’s previous post-summer record for a triple digit reading was Oct. 23 in 2003.

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8:30 p.m.

In Arizona, jack-o’-lanterns may not be the only things melting this Halloween.

The state is in the midst of a heat wave that has made October one of the hottest in years, including lengthy runs of 90-plus degree days in Phoenix and Tucson that could break a record Thursday.

National Weather Service meteorologists say a high-pressure ridge is the culprit.

Centred just west of the southern Baja peninsula of Mexico, the high-pressure area stretches northward through Arizona and up to Utah. But it is expected to move east early next week.

In Tucson, the forecast high is 97 degrees, which would easily surpass the record of 94 set back in 1937.

Meteorologists say the extreme heat is nothing out of the ordinary for October.