2023 was the hottest year on record across the planet. Phoenix experienced a number of heat records, too.
Phoenix saw a record-breaking 55 days with high temperatures at or above 110 degrees this summer. But warmer-than-normal temperatures persisted into fall and winter.
The average temperature recorded at Sky Harbor airport last month was 60.5 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. That made it the second-warmest December on record for Phoenix — 4.7 degrees above normal for the month. The warmest December ever in Phoenix was in 1980, when temperatures for the month averaged 61.3 degrees.
Overall, 2023 was Phoenix’s fourth-hottest year on record. The average temperature for the year was 77 degrees — that’s nearly five degrees above normal.
2023 was just slightly cooler than the three hottest years on record for Phoenix. 2017 averaged 77.3 degrees, 2020 was 77.2 degrees on average, and 2014 was 77.1.
