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Punxsutawney Phil might have seen his shadow, but after a sunny, warm weekend in Phoenix — that may have prompted some sunshades and umbrellas to come out — the Valley is unlikely to have six more weeks of winter, much less spring.
Sure, the second week of February seems way too early to be thinking about the summer. But those steaming temperatures are likely right around the corner. At the early end, residents may have only a month and a half before they need to start mentally preparing for 100-degree days.
According to National Weather Service data, since 1980, the average first date of triple-degree temperatures is April 29. But Phoenix has seen 100-degree days as early as late March and temperatures hitting 100 degrees in early April isn’t uncommon.
With rising temperatures, NWS Phoenix lead meteorologist Sean Benedict warned that people should take precautions to avoid being caught off guard by the rising temps. That means wearing light-fitting clothes, staying out of the sun, using sunscreen and drinking “more water than you think you need.”
Data: National Weather Service
When was Phoenix’s earliest 100-degree day?
Dating back to 1896, the earliest that Phoenix saw a 100-degree day was in 1988, when the city reached the mark on March 26. The rest of 1988 had reasonably average temperatures, starting out “a bit warm” but “fluctuating a lot,” Benedict said. After boiling in late March, Phoenix sat in the mid-60s in mid-to-late April that year.
Last year, the first 100-degree day was on April 10. The year ended up being the second-hottest year on record, trailing only 2024.
What’s the Phoenix forecast going forward?
Temperatures so far this month have been about three to five degrees above normal. In fact, nearly every day this month, the high temperature has been above 80 degrees, with only one day falling short at 79 degrees.
Normally, February in Phoenix sees cooler temperatures closer to an average of 70 degrees. Luckily, temperatures are expected to drop, as the area is expected to see a “cooling trend” this week, NWS meteorologist Katherine Berislavich said. While temperatures are expected to stay in the upper 70s to low 80s mid-week, by the end of the week they are expected to drop into the low 70s.
“This weekend temperatures will warm up a little bit, and then there’ll be another weather system that’ll move in the beginning of next week and cool temperatures off,” Berislavich said.
According to the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center, temperatures are expected to be above normal this spring. On average, temperatures in March start around 74 degrees and rise to 82 degrees by the end of the month. In April, temperatures average at around 82 degrees, before rising to 89 degrees by the end.
Phoenix begins seeing frequent 100-degree days by the end of May.
