Phoenix, AZ Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Phoenix's primary NOAA station, PHOENIX SKY HARBOR INTL AP.
The climate verdict for Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona is cooling-led and dry. Its 7.2 inches of annual precipitation pairs with an annual average of 76°F. July is the warmest month at 96°F and December the coldest at 56°F.
- 76°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 7.2"
- yearly precipitation total
Phoenix: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00023183 · Phoenix, AZ 76°F mean · 7.2" precip
TEMP-HOT · RANK-WARM · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-ARID · SWING-MID · COMF-UNK · LOAD-COOL · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-HOT 76°F
- RANK-WARM #6,792
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Indio Fire
- PRCP-ARID 7.2"
- SWING-MID 40°F
- COMF-UNK Comfort n/a
- LOAD-COOL 4,765 CDD
- STN-1 USW00023183
- BOOK-FULL 5/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Indio Fire Stn, CA (+ 0.3 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every AZ station list.
- Phoenix (this station) 76°F
- Hot Yuma Mcas, AZ 76°F
- Near Indio Fire, CA 76°F
- Cold Yuma Proving Gr…, AZ 75°F
- Near Iron Mtn, CA 75°F
Climate Living Index · Phoenix
Phoenix: 54/100 · grade D
Phoenix publishes 4 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals · NOAA hourly normals); 2 missing weights rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Phoenix, not an official NOAA rating. Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Summer moisture balance | 53.7°F mean dew point | 95/100 · A |
| Annual temperature balance | 75.6°F · 8.1° from 67.5°F | 74/100 · B |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 163 calendar days | 37/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 7.2 in · 27.8 from 35 in | 6/100 · F |
Phoenix · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method .
Phoenix's normals sit in a dry climate class: BWh
Annual precipitation falls well below the aridity threshold for this temperature regime, so the normals classify as hot desert (BWh). Class BWh is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically hot desert.
- Köppen code
- BWh
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 95.5°F
- Coldest month
- 55.8°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · cooling-led station
Where Phoenix sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Phoenix's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Top 1% warmest
- Among 6,861 stations, Phoenix sits in the warmer third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 98%
- Phoenix's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 34th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
Phoenix's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 71 complete annual observations from 1934 to 2025, PHOENIX SKY HARBOR INTL AP warmed at a fitted rate of 0.31°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Phoenix primary station fitted change +0.31 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 68°F (20°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 0.9" | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| February | 71°F (22°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 60°F (16°C) | 0.9" | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| March | 78°F (26°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 0.8" | 0.0 | 2.1 |
| April | 86°F (30°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 0.2" | 0.0 | 10.2 |
| May | 95°F (35°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 82°F (28°C) | 0.1" | 0.0 | 23.6 |
| June | 104°F (40°C) | 79°F (26°C) | 91°F (33°C) | 0.0" | 0.0 | 29.4 |
| July | 107°F (41°C) | 85°F (29°C) | 96°F (35°C) | 0.9" | 0.0 | 30.8 |
| August | 105°F (41°C) | 84°F (29°C) | 94°F (35°C) | 0.9" | 0.0 | 30.7 |
| September | 100°F (38°C) | 78°F (26°C) | 89°F (32°C) | 0.6" | 0.0 | 28.4 |
| October | 89°F (32°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 77°F (25°C) | 0.6" | 0.0 | 16.8 |
| November | 77°F (25°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 0.6" | 0.0 | 1.4 |
| December | 66°F (19°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 0.7" | 0.1 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
The year in Phoenix runs from a mild 44°F around December 20 to 107°F at the peak near July 4, and the normal low never reaches freezing on any date in the record.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from May 4 through October 13, covering 163 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs February 11 to November 29.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
No freezing date
Not one calendar date in the 1991–2020 record carries a normal low at or below 32°F. The coldest normal low of the year is 44°F around December 20.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is August 8, when 15% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is June 7 at 2%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 34 wet dates a year.
The widest day
June 4 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 26°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Phoenix.
Where Phoenix Stands Nationally
Summers here run among the most heat-heavy normals calendars in the country: on about 163 days a year the normal daily high itself reaches 90°F — a count fewer than one station in ten exceeds.
Aridity defines the water calendar: about 7 inches in a normal year lands this among the driest tenth of ranked stations.
Phoenix earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall
3.8 days with precipitation
4.1 days with precipitation
3.1 days with precipitation
1.5 days with precipitation
1.0 days with precipitation
0.5 days with precipitation
3.9 days with precipitation
4.6 days with precipitation
2.5 days with precipitation
2.2 days with precipitation
2.2 days with precipitation
4.0 days with precipitation
Phoenix spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 26% of the annual total and December through February 34%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Phoenix has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 39.7°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: August averages 0.9" and June 0.0". The three wettest months together take 38% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
How Phoenix's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 33 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 7.2" between them, or roughly 0.22 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
January 3
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
January 5
50% probability date
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
874
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
4,765
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Humidity & Wind
Monthly averages from hourly observations
| Month | Humidity | Wind (mph) | Clear Sky % | Overcast % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38% | 5.1 | 29% | 11% |
| February | 36% | 5.9 | 27% | 12% |
| March | 26% | 6.9 | 33% | 9% |
| April | 19% | 7.2 | 41% | 3% |
| May | 17% | 6.9 | 47% | 2% |
| June | 19% | 7.1 | 35% | 2% |
| July | 30% | 7.1 | 17% | 6% |
| August | 32% | 6.6 | 21% | 5% |
| September | 26% | 5.8 | 48% | 3% |
| October | 31% | 5.2 | 42% | 5% |
| November | 37% | 4.7 | 38% | 10% |
| December | 44% | 4.6 | 30% | 14% |
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside AZ closest to Phoenix on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (76°F here).
- Harlingen, TX 76°F · 0.0°F off
- Mcallen, TX 76°F · 0.1°F off
- Punta Gorda, FL 76°F · 0.2°F off
- West Palm Beach, FL 76°F · 0.2°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (7.2" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Center, CO 7.2" · 0.0" off
- Alamosa, CO 7.3" · 0.0" off
- Greybull, WY 7.2" · 0.0" off
- Basin, WY 7.2" · 0.1" off
Scarce-water calendar
Where Phoenix's limited precipitation lands
cooling led · dry · mid swing
Air-conditioning demand is the clearest thermal signal here. Phoenix accumulates 4,765 cooling degree days, more than twice its 874 heating total; the monthly table shows when that imbalance builds rather than treating it as a year-round condition.
Heat demand sits beside limited local precipitation: Phoenix receives 7.2 inches in a normal year, inside PlainClimate's dry range. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. Month-level precipitation is the useful check on when that small annual total arrives.
July and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Phoenix's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 39.7°F. The annual average is 76°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
A frost-free growing-season length is not available for Phoenix. That missing field is kept separate from the observed temperature and precipitation record rather than filled from a regional estimate.
Phoenix wettest normal
August
August concentrates the scarce annual total (7.2 inches).
Phoenix driest normal
June
June is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about Phoenix's climate
How dry is Phoenix? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Phoenix get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Phoenix? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Phoenix's primary station: PHOENIX SKY HARBOR INTL AP (USW00023183). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 0455000). Match rule for Phoenix: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Phoenix comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.