Climate & Weather in Arizona
Arizona is genuinely two climates in one state, and this record does not summarize it with a single description: the low desert (Phoenix, Tucson) runs mild, dry winters against extreme, worsening summer heat, while northern Arizona's high country (Flagstaff, the Mogollon Rim) sits at real elevation with genuine snow and four true seasons -- with Sedona and Prescott occupying their own distinct mid-elevation and mile-high climates in between.
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Learn moreThe low desert: mild winters, a real and worsening extreme-heat public-health reality
Phoenix and Tucson have a hot desert climate: mild, dry winters that are a major part of Arizona's draw, and extreme, increasingly severe summer heat. Phoenix set a record of 113 consecutive days at or above 100°F during 2023. Maricopa County Public Health has documented a real, substantial heat-mortality toll in recent summers -- 645 deaths in 2023, 608 in 2024, and 427 in 2025 (a genuine second consecutive year of decline, credited in county reporting to expanded heat-relief funding, though within the 2025 total, 48% of decedents were experiencing homelessness and 64% of deaths involved drugs or alcohol, context that clarifies who bears the highest risk without minimizing the underlying heat exposure). Humidity is low year-round outside the monsoon window.
Northern Arizona's high country: a genuinely different climate, not an afterthought
Flagstaff, at roughly 7,000 feet elevation, and the broader Mogollon Rim region have four true seasons: snowy winters averaging roughly 97-101.7 inches of snow per year, and summers that run 20-25°F cooler than Phoenix on a comparable day. This region should be evaluated on its own terms, not folded into a single "Arizona is hot and dry" description.
Sedona and Prescott occupy their own distinct middle-elevation climates
Sedona sits at roughly 4,350 feet -- meaningfully lower than Flagstaff's high country but higher than Phoenix's desert floor -- giving it a real, mid-elevation climate distinct from both. Prescott sits at 5,368 feet, commonly compared to Denver's elevation, giving it genuine four-season weather with real, if milder-than-Flagstaff, winter cold. Neither should be assumed to share Phoenix's extreme summer heat or Flagstaff's heavy snow load.
The North American Monsoon shapes the whole state's heaviest rainfall and flash-flood risk
The monsoon (June 15-September 30, most active mid-July to mid-August) brings the state's heaviest rainfall and its flash-flood risk to both the low desert and the high country, though the desert's inability to absorb heavy rain quickly makes flash flooding a particularly acute hazard in and around Phoenix and Tucson washes specifically. See the flood-hurricane-risk topic for the full detail.
Key takeaways
- Arizona is genuinely two climates in one state: the low desert's mild winters and extreme, documented summer-heat mortality risk, versus northern Arizona's real four-season, snowy high country.
- Phoenix set a 113-consecutive-day 100°F+ streak in 2023; Maricopa County's heat-mortality toll, while declining for a second consecutive year (427 deaths in 2025, down from 645 in 2023), remains real and substantial.
- Flagstaff (~7,000 ft, 97-101.7 in. snow/year) and Prescott (~5,368 ft) offer genuine four-season climates distinct from the desert floor; Sedona (~4,350 ft) sits in its own mid-elevation range.
- The June 15-September 30 monsoon brings the state's heaviest rainfall and its flash-flood risk statewide, most acute in and around Phoenix and Tucson washes.
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