Another day of brutal heat was forecast Thursday for the Phoenix area and the entire Desert Southwest, a day after the city tied a record high of 112 degrees.

"Across the Desert Southwest, temperatures will once again reach triple digits on Thursday, resulting in another day of excessive heat warnings for portions of southern California, southern Nevada and southwestern Arizona, including the Las Vegas and Phoenix metro areas," the National Weather Service said.

Fortunately, forecasters said the intense heat will begin to ease on Friday across the Desert Southwest, including Phoenix.

The extreme heat has already ended across most of California and Oregon, after several days of record to near-record highs in cities such as San Francisco and Portland. San Francisco hit 100 degrees on Monday for only the 7th time ever recorded, AccuWeather said.

In Phoenix, after a pleasant May temperature-wise, the metro area now is dealing with a bout of intense heat, which has resulted the excessive heat warning.

“Anyone who goes outside will notice an intense heat,” said Andrew Deemer, meteorologist with the weather service in Phoenix.

Monday and Tuesday saw highs of 109 and 108 degrees, respectively, in Phoenix.

A heat advisory, originally issued Monday, will continue through 8 p.m. Thursday, meaning temperatures could again exceed 110 degrees. According to the National Weather Service, Phoenix will experience “a high near 112” on Thursday.

Deemer said that to avoid the dangerous heat conditions, people should be prepared – including making sure they have somewhere to go should their air conditioning break down, making sure their pets are safe in the heat and having water in case a car gets a flat tire, to name a few precautions.

“The truth is, heat kills,” Deemer said.

He said this unusually high heat wave is caused by high pressure building over the Southwest that will continue “for most of the summer.”

This year, the pressure just happened to build earlier, after an unusually mild May, he said.

Deemer said temperatures are expected to cool down on Friday – the weather service is forecasting a high of 104 degrees – which is more typical for this time of year in Arizona.

While residents are encouraged to stay hydrated and avoid prolonged periods of time outdoors, such as hiking, Deemer said one of the most important things to do is to make sure that community members are staying safe.

“Check in on family, neighbors, friends … just check in on people,” he said.