#23 of 35 US cities · 2024
How pleasant is the weather in Phoenix, AZ?
In 2024, 48% of daytime hours in Phoenix were enjoyable outdoors: 2,301 of 4,758 hours between 8 AM and 9 PM. That's #23 of 35 major US cities. November was the best month and July the worst.
- Enjoyable
- 48%
- Comfortable temp
- 50%
- Too cold
- 5%
- Too hot
- 46%
- Lost to rain
- 0.3%
- Lost to gusts
- 1.0%
Month by month
Share of each month's daytime hours (8 AM to 9 PM). Avg temp is the plain air temperature over those hours, not feels-like.
| Month | Enjoyable | Comfortable | Too cold | Too hot | Rain | Avg temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 78% | 80% | 20% | 0% | 1.2% | 57°F |
| February | 87% | 89% | 11% | 0% | 0.0% | 62°F |
| March | 92% | 97% | 3% | 0% | 1.5% | 67°F |
| April | 67% | 69% | 1% | 30% | 0.0% | 78°F |
| May | 32% | 34% | 0% | 66% | 0.0% | 88°F |
| June | 1% | 1% | 0% | 99% | 0.0% | 100°F |
| July | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0.0% | 103°F |
| August | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 0.0% | 100°F |
| September | 7% | 7% | 0% | 93% | 0.0% | 97°F |
| October | 38% | 40% | 0% | 59% | 0.2% | 87°F |
| November | 93% | 93% | 7% | 0% | 0.0% | 66°F |
| December | 88% | 88% | 12% | 0% | 0.0% | 64°F |
What limits outdoor time
Heat costs Phoenix more hours than cold does: 46% of daytime hours were too hot, 5% too cold.
Shade does most of the work here: 39% of comfortable hours were only comfortable out of the sun, and just 7% only in it.
Weather escapes within driving distance
An hour's drive (about 45 miles) reaches places that average 19°F cooler in summer, but nowhere meaningfully warmer in winter. Stretch it to two hours (about 90 miles) and you can find places 26°F cooler in summer. Distances are straight-line; temperatures are PRISM 1991–2020 averages.
How Phoenix, AZ compares
- Jacksonville, FL · #20 · 50%
- Boston, MA · #21 · 49%
- Nashville, TN · #22 · 49%
- Indianapolis, IN · #24 · 47%
- Dayton, OH · #25 · 47%
- Columbus, OH · #26 · 47%
Questions
How many pleasant outdoor hours does Phoenix, AZ get?
2,301 hours in 2024, counting only 8 AM to 9 PM. That's 48% of daytime hours, about 177 days' worth of daytime, and ranks #23 of 35 major US cities.
What is the best month to be outside in Phoenix, AZ?
November, when 93% of daytime hours were enjoyable. March (92%) and December (88%) came next. July was the worst month, at 0%.
What makes outdoor time less pleasant in Phoenix, AZ?
Mostly temperature. 5% of daytime hours were too cold and 46% too hot. Rain took another 0.3%, and gusty wind 1.0%.
Scored with the default rule: 48–79°F feels-like in sun or shade, under 1 mm/h of rain, gusts under 27 mph, 8 AM to 9 PM. If you run hotter or colder than that, set your own range on the map. How the score works.