PHOENIX — The data doesn't lie; 2023 was the hottest year ever recorded around the world.
Not that anyone who stepped outside in the Valley this summer — a summer that never seemed to end — needed to be told that.
The heat was so much and lasted so long that cacti were dying of heat in the desert.
Phoenix saw 54 days over 110 degrees this summer and 111 days over 100 degrees.
Almost 500 people died of heat or heat-related complications in Maricopa County and experts say it's likely to continue into 2024.
"Consistently, we're seeing temperatures that are three and four and five times more likely because of the influence of climate change," Peter Girard with the non-profit Climate Central said. "The trend is unmistakable."
According to NASA data, temperatures have steadily increased on average from the 1880's when record-keeping began.
But since 1970, the rate of change in temperatures have been dramatically more than previous years... meaning it's getting hotter faster.
"You're seeing it across the entire U.S. West," Girard said. "We had this brief span when we talked about the end of the drought. It's not the end of the drought."
And because of that, Girard said, Arizona should expect more of the same above-normal weather in the coming year. Without addressing the causes of climate change, he said, there's nothing to stop the temperatures from climbing.
Heat Beat
Here are several videos about Arizona's extreme heat and how you can stay safe during the state's summer months.