PHOENIX — In a desert city used to triple-digit temperatures, some hunker down inside and some head to the pool, while others still want to hit Phoenix’s many hiking trails. But with temperatures creeping above 115 degrees during a heat wave boiling parts of the Southwest, that decision can have deadly consequences.
The mercury made a quick ascent Sunday to hit 118, breaking a record of 115 set nearly 50 years ago, according to the National Weather Service. Portions of Arizona and southeast California were expected to keep getting scorched Monday with a high pressure ridge lifting out of Mexico.
Going out early in the morning didn’t save a 28-year-old woman who became unresponsive while mountain biking with friends in north Phoenix. She had set out with two friends around 6 a.m., carrying water, but became exhausted about three hours later, then could not breathe.
Firefighters rescued the unidentified woman and she later died at a hospital, fire Capt. Larry Subervi said. She had no known medical issues, and her condition appeared to be heat-related, authorities said.
