Climate Comfort Score
N/A
NOAA 1991-2020 normals
NOAA 1991–2020 normals Incorporated place · exact Census match 76°F annual avg Public-domain federal data
Phoenix, AZ Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: average temperature, precipitation, and comfort score
- 76°F
- Avg annual temp
- 7.2"
- Annual precip
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
Based on NOAA U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020) - 30-year averages describing the typical year, not a forecast.
Avg Temperature
76°F (24°C)
Avg High
87°F
Avg Low
64°F
Annual Precip
7.2"
Avg Annual Temperature
76°F
30-year mean (NOAA NCEI)
Annual Precipitation
7.2"
Liquid-equivalent total
How Phoenix compares with its closest stations
Against the 6 closest stations in the record, Phoenix averages 76°F a year, warmer than South Phoenix, AZ (71°F) and Tempe Asu, AZ (72°F).
Corpus-relative placement
Where Phoenix sits across the climate record
These comparisons place this primary-station normal among station-mapped locations with the same NOAA 1991–2020 fields.
- Annual temperature
- Warmer than 99%
- of 6,861 measured location normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Wetter than 2%
- of 6,352 measured location normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Larger than 34%
- of 6,861 complete location-year normals.
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.
Standing computed against the distribution of 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations in the PlainClimate database; only nationally notable standings are shown.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall
January 0.9"
3.8 days with precipitation
February 0.9"
4.1 days with precipitation
March 0.8"
3.1 days with precipitation
April 0.2"
1.5 days with precipitation
May 0.1"
1.0 days with precipitation
June 0.0"
0.5 days with precipitation
July 0.9"
3.9 days with precipitation
August 0.9"
4.6 days with precipitation
September 0.6"
2.5 days with precipitation
October 0.6"
2.2 days with precipitation
November 0.6"
2.2 days with precipitation
December 0.7"
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.
Wet days a year
33
Wettest month by days
August
Driest month by days
June
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% |
Places with a similar climate profile
NOAA 1991–2020 annual normals connect this location to non-geographic peers. Temperature peers use annual mean temperature; energy peers use both heating and cooling degree days.
Closest annual-temperature peers
What Phoenix's climate means for you
Phoenix runs 76°F a year - peaking in July, coldest in December.
- Air conditioning drives the bills rather than the furnace: 4,765 cooling degree days against 874 for heating.
- See how Phoenix lines up against the rest of Arizona and the national rankings. See rankings
Climate Guides
Data-derived climate profile
How Phoenix's climate pattern fits together
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.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Phoenix's primary station, so the summer figures are a thirty-year average rather than a ceiling: individual years have run hotter and will again. They are descriptive ranges, not an official NOAA classification or a forecast for any specific year.
The year in four calendar signals
- Warmest normal
- July
- At 96°F (35°C) this is a genuinely hot month, in the top third of US stations, and the daily average understates afternoon highs.
- Coldest normal
- December
- The coldest month still averages 56°F (13°C), above freezing, so this calendar has no hard winter.
- Rainfall rhythm
- August to June
- August is typically wettest; June is driest.
- Mild-temperature window
- January through December
- Monthly means sit between 55°F and 75°F in this window. Freezing days are still reported from January through December.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average temperature in Phoenix, AZ? ▼
The average annual temperature in Phoenix, Arizona is 76°F. The warmest month averages 107°F (41°C) and the coldest averages 45°F (7°C).
How dry is Phoenix? ▼
Phoenix receives 7.2 inches of precipitation a year, spread across roughly 33 days that record any measurable amount. For reference, the contiguous United States averages near 30 inches. Based on NOAA 30-year climate normals (1991-2020).
How many days above 90°F does Phoenix get? ▼
Phoenix averages about 173 days a year at or above 90°F, concentrated in July and the months either side of it. That is a count of days reaching the threshold, not a measure of how far above it they go.
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Phoenix? ▼
Phoenix has 874 heating degree days and 4,765 cooling degree days annually, a cooling-dominated climate. See our <a href="/guides/reading-weather-data" class="underline hover:text-brand-600">guide to reading weather data</a> for what these figures mean.
Where does this Phoenix climate data come from? ▼
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). Figures on this page come from Phoenix's primary NOAA station (PHOENIX SKY HARBOR INTL AP, USW00023183).
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). The reproducible method is an exact normalized name-and-state match; unresolved is an upper bound on facilities because spelling variants can be missed.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainClimate
Every figure on PlainClimate is rendered directly from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.