Arizona Annual Temperatures and Records

City

Avg High Temp

Avg Low Temp 

Avg Annual Temp

 Avg # days => 90F Avg # days <= 32F  Record High Temp  Record Low Temp
Flagstaff 61.4 30.9 46.2 3 208

97,1973/07/05

-23,1978/12/08
Phoenix 86.4 61.9 74,2 169 5

122,1990/06/26

17,1950/01/05
Tucson 82.5 54.8 68.7 144 17

117,1990/06/26

16,1949/01/04
Winslow 70.4 40.0 55.2 69 73

109,1971/07/13

-19,1898/12/14
Yuma 88.5 61.9 75.3 175 24

124,1995/07/28

5,1995/02/18
  • Arizona annual average temperature, 60.31 degrees, 10th warmest state in the U.S.
  • Record Hottest year in Arizona - 1896, / Avg temperature 63.92 degrees
  • Record Coldest year in Arizona - 1912 / Avg temperature 56.99 degrees
  • Arizona average Summer temperature (June, July, August)  78.1 F degrees, 10th warmest U.S. summer state
  • Arizona average Winter temperature (December, January, February)  43.8 F degrees, 41st coldest U.S. winter state

Arizona Temperature Records 

  • Hottest temperature ever recorded: Lake Havasu City, northwestern Arizona, 6/29/1994, 128 F
  • Coldest temperature ever recorded: Hawley Lake, east-central Arizona, 1/7/1971, -41 F
  • Hottest city ranked by highest average annual temperature: Yuma, southwestern Arizona, 74.7 F
  • Coldest city ranked by lowest average annual temperature: Sunrise Mountain, northeastern Arizona, 38.4 F
  • Yuma, the hottest urban area in the United States, capped a season-long heat wave on July 10, 1959 with a high
    temperature of 118 F. Temperatures rose above 100 F for 97 consecutive days from June 1st through September 5th
    with the lone exception being June 27th when the high temperature only reached 98 degrees. 
  • Although Arizona is the 10th the warmest U.S. state, Fort Valley, Arizona experienced 241 consecutive days 
    with the temperature equal or below 32 degrees, from October 1976 through May 1977.
  • July 2009 was the all-time hottest month in Phoenix since records began in 1896. There were 15 days
    where highs reached 110 or hotter at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport.
  • Arizona's record for most consecutive days with the high temperature equal to or exceeding 90 degrees
    was set in April - October 1992 with 184 days at Yuma, Arizona. The record for most consecutive days with
    the low temperature equal to or below 32 degrees was set in October 1976 - May 1977 at Fort Valley with 241 days. 

        

Cold air masses sometime penetrate Arizona, bringing temperatures well below 0 degrees Fahrenheit in the high plateau and mountainous regions of central and northern Arizona. The lowest readings can dip to -35° F. Hot temperatures are common throughout the summer months at the lower elevations. Temperatures exceeding 125° F have been observed in the desert area. Great extremes occur between day and night temperatures throughout Arizona. The daily range between minimum and maximum temperatures can be as much as 50 to 60° F during the drier portions of the year. During winter months the lower desert valleys may have daytime temperatures average 70, with night temperatures falling to or slightly below freezing. In the summer, the forests in the central part of the State may have afternoon temperatures of 80° F, while night temperatures drop to 35 to 40° F.

The length of the growing season (freeze-free period) varies tremendously over Arizona. Some of the higher areas in the northern and eastern portions of the State average less than three freeze-free months while lower desert valleys sometimes have several years in succession without a freeze.

Arizona precipitation averages and extremes, Phoenix climate records and averages, precipitation and temperature data for all U.S. states and Top 10 U.S. climate extremes
Data source: National Climatic Data Center