PHOENIX (AZFamily) — On a scorching summer day in Phoenix, the heat can be different.
“It’s pretty hot outside,” said one woman at Encanto Park on Friday.
But for others, days that top out at 113 degrees aren’t too bad.
“It’s fine, just fishing,” said a man at Encanto.
One thing we can all agree on is that it hasn’t been as brutal a summer as it was last year, so far.
In July, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Phoenix issued 10 days’ worth of extreme heat warnings. For the same month of 2024, the number was more than double.
Does it mean that the number of mountain rescues the Phoenix Fire Department responded to also dropped significantly?
Data from the Phoenix Fire Department showed the number of mountain rescues between January and the end of July decreased from 116 in 2024 to 108 in 2025. Camelback Mountain, however, actually saw an increase in rescues from 35 to 44 during the same time frame.
“We hope that messaging is more out there. We did not have as many extreme heat days in July as we did last year. Like you said our numbers are still pretty consistent, people are still hitting the mountains,” said Phoenix Fire Capt. Rob McDade.
While the numbers are pretty similar, those extra few degrees on extremely hot days can make a difference when we’re talking about health.
“It is absolutely more dangerous,” said Banner Urgent Care Nurse Practitioner Samia Kadri.
Kadri says the hotter it is outside, the quicker your body becomes dehydrated. With the extreme temps on the way, McDade says technical rescue crews are already preparing.
“Those are the rescues we worry about the most, not only because that probably means we have someone in extreme danger if they’re calling us in the middle of the day and it’s 111 out, but again putting our rescuers on that mountain,” he said.
On days when the NWS issues an extreme heat warning, the following trails are restricted from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.:
- Camelback Mountain Preserve: Echo Canyon and Cholla Trail
- Phoenix Mountains Preserve: The Piestewa Peak Summit trail and associated trails
- South Mountain Park and Preserve: Holbert Trail, Mormon Trail, Hau’pal Loop Trail, and access to the National Trail from the Pima Canyon
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