Arizona Weather

Arizona Weather And Climate

TEMPERATURE

Elevation, more than any other single factor, determines the temperature range for any given region in Arizona. Cities in upper elevations will normally have high summer temperatures in the 80s F and winter lows well below freezing, while cities at lower elevations will have normal highs over 100 and rarely see low below freezing in the winter. The low humidity statewide leads to wide variations between daytime highs and lows, often varying by 30 degrees or more.

PRECIPITATION

Again elevation dictates the amount of precipitation and the type of precipitation that a given region in Arizona receives, with heavy snows occurring in the higher elevations, but most of the rest of state is a desert. Sunshine is the rule in Phoenix and much of the areas in the lower elevations, but rain and thunderstorms can occur in July and August, and rain is most likely in December and January. Flooding is a possibility when thunderstorms erupt, and the state is hit by approximately one tornado a year.