Valley residents remember the hottest day ever recorded in Phoenix

PHOENIX (FOX 10) -- On June 26, 1990, Phoenix broke a major record. It was 122 degrees, and believe it or not, the city did not come to a stop.

Some people say they don't remember, others say they'd rather forget, but everyone agrees 122 degrees is just too darn hot!

Valerie Perez was just a kid, but she remembers the day 29 years ago.

It was so hot that Sky Harbor decided to close the airport because they were worried that it would be difficult for planes to get enough lift to take off.

"We were going to California, and we were driving through death valley and it was even hotter there than it was here we were just stunned at the temperature," said Perez.

It was 90 degrees at 10:00 a.m. that day.

"I am like a pinky swear that I don't complain until it's 110 and humid, we've been pretty lucky, yes we have, I'm still kind of pinch-me about may and I feel like June has been exceptional too," says Perez.

The National Weather Service says there's a reason for what Arizonans call an unusually cooler summer.

"We've been stuck in this pattern where storm systems have been moving onshore in the West Coast that's really kept the heat at bay for Phoenix," said Mark, an employee with the National Weather Service.

Who knows how long it will be before the real heat hits. All one can do is make a plan and be ready.

"122 is the same as 120 as 119, I hibernate in the summer, so I was hibernating, that's how you survive, air conditioning," said Perez.