Saguaro cacti typically live 150 to 175 years, but Arizona's heatwave is making them topple over and die

• Arizona's iconic saguaro cacti are falling over and dying thanks to extreme heat in the state.
• The plants, although adapted to hot temperatures, rely on summer monsoon rains that haven't come.

In Arizona, even resilient cacti are falling over and dying thanks to the blistering heat that has taken hold of the state for the better part of the last month.

Reuters reported on Tuesday that the iconic saguaro cacti are leaning, losing limbs, and even falling over with the summer monsoon rains just not coming.

Tania Hernandez, a research scientist at Phoenix's Desert Botanical Garden, told the outlet that the plants are usually fine in Arizona's traditionally high summer temperatures but Phoenix is in the middle of an unprecedented heatwave.

Reuters reported that the city saw temperatures above 110 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 days in a row.

But not all the cacti will die immediately, Hernandez told Reuters.

The saguaros need to cool down every night from rain or mist, Hernandez explained, adding that if the rain does not come, the plants will have internal damage.

Cacti that suffer from prolonged heat, like what's being seen in Arizona right now, could take months or even years to die, Reuters reported.

Kimberlie McCue, the Chief Science Officer at the Desert Botanical Garden, told CNN that the cacti have been "highly stressed" due to the weather.

McCue — who, along with her team, assesses the Botanical Garden's cacti each February — told CNN that she has been seeing more death among the Arizona saguaro cacti since 2020 when record highs caused the plants to undergo stress.

Those cacti that had already been stressed out due to high temps are being hit even harder, causing them to lose their limbs or even collapse.

According to the National Parks Service, saguaro cacti are supposed to live anywhere from 150 to 175 years long. Some plants may even live to be over 200.