For anyone who thinks that the Arizona desert doesn't experience seasons, I would like to assure you that we certainly do though not in the traditional sense. Summers are oven-hot and if you are not in a pool it is wise to be in air conditioning. Spring and autumn are very similar to each other with very comfortable temperatures for shorts and t-shirts. We will hover in the upper 80's and 90's for most of spring and autumn with warm evenings. Winter mornings call for jeans and typically a light jacket though there are times when I break out my scarf and hat. Winter is the perfect time to visit the Phoenix area though if you want a great deal on lodging, summer is your best bet if you prefer heat to cold.
Valley of the Sun
I live in the outskirts of Phoenix which is nicknamed "The Valley of the Sun". It has this name for a very good reason. We get plenty of sun in fact we get almost 300 days of sun on average most years. A full day of clouds is super rare for us though winter does tend to bring rain that some years exceeds the rain we see during the summer monsoon period. Phoneix is a huge city and when you include the suburban cities, we encompass a very large area full of golf courses, city parks, hiking trails, and so much more to explore.
What is typical winter weather in Phoenix?
Evenings can get as low as the 40's and 50's but as soon as the sun rises in the morning, the temperatures begin to warm. We might get cool days when the highs are only in the upper 60's but we can just as likely soar to the low 80's. Our super mild winter days are what brings all the migratory birds to this area from October to March. I might grab a jacket in the morning but by afternoon, I lose the jacket and often change into a t-shirt and sometimes shorts. Flowers bloom in the winter, birds abound, and this is prime season for picnics, hiking, and any outdoor activity you can imagine with the exception of swimming unless there is a heated pool in which case it is warm enough to dive in.
Does Phoenix get frost or snow?
We do have a handful of frost each year usually around Christmas or early January. The temperatures dip just under the freezing point and the grass will have a thin layer of frost in the morning that quickly burns off at sunrise. Snow is fairly rare though not impossible. Just a few weeks ago we had rain around my home but hail a few miles away, and snow in Scottdale. The peaks of the mountains will typically get a coat of snow once a year and might last for a week on the tallest mountains. So the short answer is yes. We can get snow in the deserts of Arizona though it is by no means common.
Since I have lived in this area for the last 16 years, it is hard for me to imagine that while I am out hiking there are people in other places being buried in snow. During an exceptionally warm day this past week, we hit 90 degrees on my patio and I was talking to my grandmother who lives on the east coast of the U.S. Oddly she was telling me how many feet of snow she had on the ground and how fast it was still coming down. I am sure that she had as difficult of a time imagining sitting around in a t-shirt as I did imagining bundling against the cold. The winters in the Phoenix area are likely very close to springtime in other areas of the United States. They are super mild, rare chance of rain, and plenty of opportunity to soak up the sun from late October to early March. Our winter weather is just one of the many reasons why I love living in Arizona.
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