'Goodbye to our taste of fall:' Triple-digit temperatures to return to Phoenix area this weekend

The Valley got a nostalgic taste of fall this week, but the return of triple-digit temperatures is on the horizon for the weekend. 

The first cold front of the fall season swept through the Valley on Tuesday, bringing rain to some areas and dropping the dew point temperature from the mid-60s to just 19 degrees.

The low temperature Thursday morning in Phoenix was 69 degrees, a full 10 degrees below normal. According to the National Weather Service, it was the first time Phoenix temperatures dropped below 70 degrees since May 22nd. 

The high temperature Wednesday in the Phoenix area was 90 degrees, the Weather Service tweeted. 

However, Mark O'Malley, a Weather Service meteorologist, said temperatures will rise above 100 degrees again by Saturday.

"I know we don't want to hear this, but it will most likely stay that way through at least the middle of next week," O'Malley said. 

Throughout the coming week, O'Malley said high temperatures will remain around 105 degrees and the lows in the upper 70s and lower 80s. Sunday will be the hottest day with a forecast high of 107 degrees. 

There is no chance of rain in sight for the next week, according to O'Malley.

For those not ready to let go of the cooler temperatures, Flagstaff will have low temperatures in the upper 30s and lower 40s with daytime highs only reaching the upper 70s.

"If you want to escape the city to a place that requires a light jacket, Flagstaff is the place to be," O'Malley said. 

O'Malley said the abrupt drop and subsequent rise in temperature is not abnormal for Phoenix, but it usually occurs toward the end of September.

"We are saying goodbye to our taste of fall a little earlier this year," O'Malley said. "It will come back soon enough." 

Reach the reporter Jamie Landers at jamie.landers@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter @jamielanderstv