Katherine Davis-Young

A high pollution advisory is in effect in the Valley on Thursday . Two major dust storms this week have left Phoenix with poor air quality.

Phoenix remains under an extreme heat warning through the weekend. By Sunday, this warning will have lasted 18 consecutive days, making it the second-longest extreme heat warning ever for the Valley.

Phoenix has always been known for hot summers. But human-caused climate change is driving even more intense heat in the Valley. So how much hotter could future summers get?

Housing construction is picking up in Arizona, but the state still faces a shortage of homes and many Arizona households remain cost-burdened, according to a new report from Arizona's three public universities.

Maricopa County has confirmed more than double the number of heat-related deaths so far this year compared to the same point last summer.

National Weather Service Phoenix office lead meteorologist Matt Salerno said an especially strong high pressure system is continuing to push high temperatures to 110 degrees or higher.

Dr. John Galigiani, director of the Valley Fever Center for Excellence at the University of Arizona, said it has been a dry and dusty summer and those conditions raise the chances that people might inhale the tiny fungal spores that spread the infection.

Even though extreme heat warnings have been very frequent this year, they should still be taken seriously, said David Hondula, director of Phoenix's Office of Heat Response and Mitigation.

Arizona saw a 5% drop in traffic fatalities in 2025 — the third year in a row of declines.

Climate change is prolonging the heat season in Phoenix. That means dangerous temperatures are stretching longer into the school year in the fall and spring . An Arizona State University initiative called HeatReady Schools is trying to help schools adapt.