Arizonans this week have been stuck between a hot rock and a hazy place: Triple-digit temperatures were expected to break heat records Friday, a day after parts of the state were shrouded in haze from the massive wildfire in neighboring New Mexico.
Tucson, which saw the worst of the haze Thursday, could reach 107 degrees Friday, which would break the June 1 record set in 2002, the National Weather Service predicted.
Phoenix, which topped 80 degrees before 7 a.m., may see temperatures of 112 degrees on Friday, which would break its June 1 record of 110 degrees set in 1977.
Much of the state saw triple-digit temperatures on Thursday, making for the first mini heat wave of the year. Phoenix reached 109 on Thursday, tying its May 31 record.
"It's substantially above normal" temperatures of 100 for this time of year, James Sawtelle, a Phoenix-based National Weather Service forecaster, told msnbc.com.
Weekend temperatures should drop a bit, but will still be well over 100 in Phoenix and other cities.
Still, Arizonans can take some comfort in the fact that in neighboring California, Death Valley has been even hotter: Friday's forecast was 121 degrees.