Overview
- An Extreme Heat Warning from the National Weather Service covers 13 Arizona counties starting March 18 as Phoenix posts the earliest triple-digit day on record and forecasts call for highs near 101–105 through March 24.
- Phoenix is closing select trails from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 19–22, including Camelback’s Echo Canyon and Cholla, the Piestewa Peak Summit trail and associated routes, and South Mountain’s Holbert, Mormon, Hau’pal Loop, and National Trail access from Pima Canyon.
- Fire crews report multiple mountain rescues this week and have staged ice and other resources at major trailheads to respond to heat-related emergencies.
- City teams are distributing cooling supplies to vulnerable residents, with libraries, community centers, and senior centers available as places to cool down ahead of formal heat-relief center openings in May.
- Officials say targeted closures under the Trail Heat Safety Program have coincided with fewer annual rescues, with city data showing a decline from 57 in 2021 to 35 in 2024.