Overview
- Phoenix set a December record at Sky Harbor with 82°F and logged back-to-back daily records in the low 80s on Sunday and Monday.
- A strong ridge of high pressure is keeping highs in the upper 70s to low 80s, roughly 10–15 degrees above normal for mid-December.
- Forecasts keep the warmth and dryness in place through early next week, with northern Arizona seeing gusts up to 30–40 mph into Friday and Saturday.
- Model guidance hints at a pattern change near Christmas that could bring cooler temperatures and slight rain chances, but confidence remains low and probabilities are currently around 10–20%.
- Meteorologists link the setup to La Niña and a displaced jet stream, note climate warming raises the odds of records, and warn that drying vegetation is elevating fire risk as researchers debut a Phoenix Dust Scale for dust-storm severity.