Tucson baked through an almost endlessly hot October, with hot days averaging more than eight degrees above normal and capping a five-month run of record-breaking or record-tying heat. October 2024 was not only this city's hottest October on record, it also blasted Tucson with the most extreme heat compared to normal of any of the past five months. Crystal Vaughn, left, takes a drink of water as she and Henry Peralta find a shady spot at Catalina Park, on North Fourth Avenue just south of East Speedway, on one of Tucson's hot October days.
High temperatures for October averaged 94.7 degrees, compared to a normal average high for the month of 86.3 degrees.
The average daily temperature for October was 78.6 degrees, exactly 6 degrees above normal. That follows the hottest September on record and a record-tying heat for the summer months of June through August.
In addition, the Tucson area's monsoon season from June 15 through Sept. 30 was the third-hottest monsoon season on record. The National Weather Service has kept records of Tucson temperatures and precipitation since 1895.
To cite an extreme example of October's heat, its average high temperature of 94.7 degrees was only .4 degree lower than the normal average high temperature for September here.
Normally, the average October high temperature runs nearly 9 degrees cooler than the average September high temperature. Overall, October heat was "bonkers" in Tucson, observed Michael Crimmins, a professor and extension speciali.