It’s now official. November was the warmest on record ever in Phoenix — and by a long shot.
The National Weather Service reports the average maximum temperature at 82.9 degrees, almost 7.5 above normal. The average minimum was 59 and a half, and that is close to 7 above where we should be for the month.
Marvin Percha is an NWS meteorologist based in Phoenix. He blames a ridge of high pressure — perhaps influenced by the Pacific weather pattern La Nina, for our recent dryness and a very unusually warm November.
But while it’s easy to point the finger at global warming, Percha says it’s only one of many factors.
“That’s a bit of a reach to say that. We’re just saying that with the changes in the climate, it’s just making it more and more likely to see warmer than normal events," Percha said.
The monthly mean temperature of 71.2 degrees shattered the old record by more than a degree.
It’s also now been more than 3 months since the last measurable rainfall in Phoenix. That occured on Aug. 23.
Forecasters expect this pattern to continue, predicting a warmer and drier winter ahead.
