Phoenix-area temperatures expected to stay above normal this week, possibly break record
Dec 3, 2024, 5:00 AM
December is starting off with a stretch of temperatures about 10 degrees above normal in metro Phoenix. (KTAR News File Photo)
(KTAR News File Photo)
PHOENIX – It’s the time of year when above-normal metro Phoenix temperatures are nothing to get too heated about.
“If you enjoy temperatures in the upper 70s and 80s, then I guess you can’t complain too much,” Matt Salerno, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service (NWS) in Phoenix, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday morning.
The highs in Phoenix are typically in the upper 60s in early December. However, the month is starting off with a stretch of temperatures about 10 degrees above normal.
“We’re going to be consistently staying at well above normal as we head through the remainder of this work week,” Salerno said.
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In fact, Tuesday’s forecast high of 82 degrees is 1 degree warmer than the record for the date.
Meanwhile, the overnight lows will be in the lower to middle 50s, with metro Phoenix temperatures dipping into the 40s in the outlying desert areas.
“Overall, pretty mild overnight lows, as well, persisting through the week,” Salerno said.
What’s causing above-normal metro Phoenix temperatures?
Salerno explained that a persistent “blocking pattern” over the western U.S. and eastern Pacific Ocean is elevating temperatures and keeping the region dry.
However, there are signs the ridge pattern could start breaking up next week.
“We’ll be watching out for that to see if we can get a pattern shift to occur over the western United States, which could bring us some cooler temperatures and maybe some moisture into the area,” Salerno said.
Phoenix could use the rain after more than three months with nothing more than trace amounts at Sky Harbor International Airport, which the NWS uses for the city’s official readings. The last measurable rainfall at the airport came on Aug. 22.
October and November are typically on the dry side, Salerno said, with rain activity tending to pick up from mid-December through March.
After a relatively unproductive monsoon season, Phoenix is almost 2 inches below normal for the year, he added.
“Hopefully, we’ll pick up some rainfall when we get some winter rains,” Salerno said. “It just depends, again, if we can break this stagnant pattern we’ve been under.”
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Jim Cross contributed to this report.
