Scorching Temperatures Across The Southwest Cause Rattlesnake Snake Surge In Arizona

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:01]Hey, scorching temperatures across the Southwest has been a big story this week with dozens of record high temperatures already broken across the region. In places like Arizona, this heat brings a potentially dangerous surge in rattlesnakes. The venomous reptiles emerge in the spring and become particularly active in the month of May.

[00:00:21]They're like severe weather across hiking trails and residential areas.

[00:00:25]Adjoining us now is nature center supervisor from the city of Chandler, Arizona, Derek Gerson, with more insight on how the warm weather actually brings out the snakes. Derek, thanks for being here with us. It looks like you have a guest with you, too.

[00:00:41]I do. Thank you for having me. Um I'm here sunny Chandler, Arizona in the Sonoran Desert. This is my gopher snake, Bob, that we have here at the Sonoran at the nature center. And Bob is about 17 years old, non-venomous. Wouldn't be handling him otherwise. Yeah.

[00:01:01]>> Um you mentioned heat.

[00:01:03]Uh you know, I was going to meet with you guys outside today, but this goes to show my phone overheated in about 5 minutes. So, I moved back into my office with Bob. It's really hot out here. We got a Bob that works here with us and and that one is venomous. Uh so, you you got to you got to be on the lookout either way. Is this early or on schedule for these snakes? I wonder for the locals. I even saw you put out that video on social media kind of just getting this word out, uh telling folks to to be on the lookout. Is this several weeks early?

[00:01:36]Um you know, yeah, it is it is a little early. Um it has been uh as you mentioned record-breaking heat. And so, the snakes are out earlier. Um snakes are ectothermic.

[00:01:47]They're cold-blooded. So, they actually go into reptilian hibernation or brumation during the cold season. And when they start to feel that heat come out, they start to emerge. Their metabolism speeds up, and so they're on the hunt.

[00:02:00]So, they are more active and definitely living in a place like Arizona or anywhere else where the heat's coming across the country, and you maybe have rattlesnake species, it's something to definitely be aware of. So, I would say there has been a slight early emergence of rattlesnakes here in the valley.

[00:02:18]Yeah, brumation, it sounds like like a double IPA. And I'm not a snake guy, I'll say that, but this the long nap gets disrupted effectively by by this heat, right? So, this isn't a nefarious thing, though.

[00:02:32]After the long nap, what exactly are the rattlesnakes looking for? Is it Is it shade? Something to get out of the the heat? Water? Food?

[00:02:43]Yeah, you know, yeah, they're looking to warm up, they're looking for water, they're looking for food. They feed on rodents, reptiles, lizards here in Arizona, and small insects. So, it is quite normal for them, but the timeline has kind of been moved forward, and yeah, when that happens, when people are outdoor recreating here, you really do have to keep an eye out. Rattlesnakes, they help control our rodent population.

[00:03:06]All snakes, like Bob here, gopher snakes, non-venomous, they're they're beneficial to our ecosystem, but with the rattlesnakes we have in the valley, we have diamondback rattlesnakes as very common, Mojave, speckled, and sidewinder rattlesnakes. And so, when you're out recreating on the trail, you want to make sure that you're not having your headphones in. You want to make sure you stay on trail because rattlesnakes are amazing camouflagers, they can hide in the brush. So, you don't want to step where you can't see. And if you do come across a snake, whether it be a rattlesnake or a gopher snake, they really, you know, they get a bad rap, but they really just want to get away from you.

[00:03:46]They want to get off trail. They might rattle, so that's hence not having your headphones in, you want to listen for that rattle. That's their warning sign.

[00:03:54]And just let them do their thing. Give them a wide space, go around them, or just wait there and let them move out of the way.

[00:04:00]>> That makes perfect >> of the basics of rattlesnake safety.

[00:04:02]Yeah.

[00:04:03]>> Yeah, it's perfect sense. You're in their natural habitat. So kind of head on a swivel and be aware of your surroundings. Does the heat bring more of these snakes though into neighborhoods, backyards during heat waves? And And in that instance, is it the same idea? You kind of just do your best to keep your distance.

[00:04:23]What do folks do at that point?

[00:04:25]Yeah, you know, it's it's a possibility, especially if you have like a water source or you live closer in what I like to call the wildland urban interface out here. So if you're up on a mountain range.

[00:04:37]But you know, it is it is a little bit unknown that snakes do need a really big range. So if you're kind of inner city in some of those areas, it's a little less common. But if you do live closer to some of the natural areas, green spaces where some of the snakes might be habitated at, you definitely want to just keep an eye out. You want to be aware of your landscaping, aware of areas where maybe snakes could could hide.

[00:05:01]You know, if you're doing landscaping, you don't want to not wear gloves. You want to wear gloves if you're lifting up something you can't see the bottom of, which could you know, not to get into a different topic. We also have scorpions here, but also for safety for other critters that come along with the heat.

[00:05:16]So. Yeah, Derek, I didn't really know what to expect out of Bob during the interview, but he's a cool customer right there and so are you. So we appreciate hearing about this. It's a pretty unique thing. That's a nature center supervisor from Chandler, Arizona, Derek Gerson. Thanks for chatting with us here on Fox Weather.

[00:05:37]Thanks for having me.