We’re back! Here’s your Tucson news roundup for June 18, 2024.
Tue ☀️ 103° • Wed ☀️ 105° • Thu ☀️ 111°
NWS Midtown forecast
🌵 You already know this, but it’s hot.
The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat watch for Thursday morning through Friday evening, with temperatures expected to top 110°. Coincidentally, the summer solstice, which marks the official start of summer for the Northern Hemisphere, falls on Thursday, June 20 at 1:50 p.m. Arizona time. Cooling centers are open around the city for those in need.
- AZPM: More than 70 million people in the US are under heat alerts
- Tucson Sentinel: Beat the heat with cooling stations in Tucson, Pima County
🌵 Arizona lawmakers passed a 2025 budget and adjourned this year’s legislative session.
The bipartisan $16.1 billion budget for fiscal year 2025, along with cuts to current-year spending, closes a $1.4 billion deficit. The cuts include delaying planned water infrastructure and road projects. Most state agencies and universities will also see budget reductions.
🌵 The end of the legislative session means that Arizona’s 1864 abortion ban will not go into effect.
Governor Hobbs and Arizona lawmakers passed a repeal of Arizona’s 1864 abortion ban on May 2. New laws don’t take effect until 91 days after the end of the legislative session, which means the repeal won’t go into place until Sept. 14. Legal challenges are currently holding off the 1864 ban from taking effect until at least Sept. 27, at which point the repeal will already be in place. Arizona’s current law prohibits abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, unless a doctor determines there is a medical emergency.
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🌵 Immigration advocates warn that strict new migrant policies will lead to heat-related deaths.
An executive order signed by President Biden effectively prohibits most migrants from seeking asylum in the U.S., unless the number of Border Patrol migrant encounters drops to levels not seen in four years. Asylum seekers are already being turned away, as temperatures in the southwest climb over 100°. More than 100 deaths in the El Paso border sector last year were believed to be heat-related.
🌵 Lastly, Fantasy Monsoon is back.
Think you can predict the amount of rainfall each month for Tucson and other Arizona cities? Sign up with the University of Arizona’s Institute for Resilience and make your predictions. Monsoon season officially began on June 15, although the skies remain clear so far.