South Phoenix, Arizona climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
South Phoenix's normal year runs from 41°F December nights to 103°F July afternoons, with 7.5 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 21.9°C, December lows of 5°C, July highs of 39°C, 189 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationSouth Phoenix
- Station IDUSC00028112
- Location33.38°N 112.07°W
- Elevation1,155 ft (352 m)
On October 23, the normal high in South Phoenix is 84°F and the normal low 56°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 8%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for South Phoenix.
- Jan 67° 42°
- Feb 71° 44°
- Mar 78° 48°
- Apr 85° 54°
- May 93° 62°
- Jun 101° 69°
- Jul 103° 77°
- Aug 101° 78°
- Sep 97° 71°
- Oct 87° 59°
- Nov 74° 48°
- Dec 65° 41°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at South Phoenix each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 103°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 41°F. The most precipitation falls in February (0.99 in), the least in June (0.05 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 67°F | 42°F | 54.3°F | 0.87 | 4 | <1 | 3 | 10 h 10 min |
| February | 71°F | 44°F | 57.5°F | 0.99 | 4 | <1 | 1 | 11 h |
| March | 78°F | 48°F | 63.0°F | 0.95 | 3 | 1 | <1 | 12 h |
| April | 85°F | 54°F | 69.4°F | 0.26 | 2 | 8 | <1 | 13 h |
| May | 93°F | 62°F | 77.0°F | 0.11 | 1 | 24 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 101°F | 69°F | 85.1°F | 0.05 | 1 | 29 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| July | 103°F | 77°F | 89.8°F | 0.76 | 2 | 31 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| August | 101°F | 78°F | 89.3°F | 0.75 | 3 | 31 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 97°F | 71°F | 84.1°F | 0.59 | 3 | 29 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 87°F | 59°F | 73.0°F | 0.66 | 2 | 12 | <1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 74°F | 48°F | 60.9°F | 0.69 | 2 | <1 | 1 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 65°F | 41°F | 52.8°F | 0.78 | 3 | <1 | 5 | 10 h |
| Year (annual) | 85°F | 58°F | 71.4°F | 7.46 | 30 | 164 | 9 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19°C | 5°C | 12.4°C | 22 mm |
| February | 22°C | 7°C | 14.2°C | 25 mm |
| March | 25°C | 9°C | 17.2°C | 24 mm |
| April | 29°C | 12°C | 20.8°C | 7 mm |
| May | 34°C | 16°C | 25.0°C | 3 mm |
| June | 38°C | 21°C | 29.5°C | 1 mm |
| July | 39°C | 25°C | 32.1°C | 19 mm |
| August | 38°C | 25°C | 31.8°C | 19 mm |
| September | 36°C | 22°C | 28.9°C | 15 mm |
| October | 31°C | 15°C | 22.8°C | 17 mm |
| November | 24°C | 9°C | 16.1°C | 18 mm |
| December | 18°C | 5°C | 11.6°C | 20 mm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00028112; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
Which months are mildest at South Phoenix?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in January, February, March, April, November and December. Of those, April has the fewest days with rain (2).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00028112.
When is the last frost at South Phoenix?
In South Phoenix, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after January 21 in half of years and after February 20 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before December 16 in half of years and before November 29 in one year in ten. A night at 32°F or colder comes at all in 94% of years here (NOAA).
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- January 211 year in 10 after February 20; 9 in 10 after December 24
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- December 161 year in 10 before November 29; 9 in 10 before January 9
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 331 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 365 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after January 3 in half of springs and before December 29 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts South Phoenix in zone 10a in ZIP code 85042, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 9b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 28°F (16 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Arizona · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00028112; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at South Phoenix?
In a normal year in South Phoenix, 164 days a year reach 90°F (81 of them 100°F or more), 9 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 30 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 164a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 81a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 9a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- fewer than 1high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 30a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1915) is 118°F, on June 19, 1940; the lowest is 12°F, on January 13, 1963.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1978, with 15.56 in.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00028112; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00028112. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at South Phoenix?
Over a year 92% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at South Phoenix, 5.8 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (97%) and December the cloudiest (86%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 87% | 3.4 |
| February | 87% | 4.4 |
| March | 90% | 5.9 |
| April | 93% | 7.3 |
| May | 96% | 8.2 |
| June | 97% | 8.5 |
| July | 92% | 7.5 |
| August | 93% | 6.9 |
| September | 94% | 6.2 |
| October | 94% | 5.0 |
| November | 91% | 3.8 |
| December | 86% | 3.1 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How many heating and cooling degree days does South Phoenix record?
A normal year at South Phoenix brings 1,228 heating degree days, 77% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 3,579 cooling degree days, 3.9 times the median (908). Two months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 7,882 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 332 | 1 |
| February | 213 | 5 |
| March | 112 | 50 |
| April | 27 | 159 |
| May | 2 | 374 |
| June | 0 | 603 |
| July | 0 | 770 |
| August | 0 | 753 |
| September | 0 | 574 |
| October | 13 | 260 |
| November | 152 | 30 |
| December | 377 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 1,228 | 3,579 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00028112. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
How does South Phoenix's climate compare?
South Phoenix is warmer than 73 of the 97 places with their own NOAA record in Arizona, and wetter than 20. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 71.4°F is warmer than 96%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, South Phoenix is BWh: hot desert. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Questions about South Phoenix's climate
What is the coldest month at South Phoenix?
December, with a normal high of 65°F and a normal low of 41°F. The warmest is July (103°F by day, 77°F at night).
Does it snow at South Phoenix?
Rarely: NOAA's normal is no measurable snow a year.
What is the rainiest month at South Phoenix?
February, with 0.99 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 0.05 in.
What plant hardiness zone is South Phoenix in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts South Phoenix in zone 10a in ZIP code 85042, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 28°F (16 years, 1991-2020): zone 9b.
How late can frost come at South Phoenix?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after January 21; in one year in ten it comes after February 20. Waiting until February 20 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Arizona climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Phoenix, AZ5 miles from this station, 75.6°F a year
- Laveen (3 mi SSE), AZ6 miles from this station, 73.9°F a year
- Tempe, AZ9 miles from this station, 71.8°F a year
- Maricopa, AZ19 miles from this station, 71.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made