It's not just summer: Phoenix spring temperatures are on the rise
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Phoenix's spring seasons are getting warmer, more so than much of the rest of the country's, according to a recent Climate Central analysis.
Why it matters: The trend reflects human-caused warming, the group says.
- Much of the seasonal climate change discussion is focused on summer and winter, when temperatures are typically at their annual high and low extremes.
- But the "between seasons" are affected too.
By the numbers: Springtime in Phoenix warmed by 5.2°F on average between 1970 and 2023, per Climate Central, a climate research and communications nonprofit.
- That's more than double the average warming of 2.2° across nearly 230 U.S. cities.
Stunning stat: Spring has gotten notably warmer in the Southwest, where average temperatures have risen by more than 6° in some places.
Zoom in: The highest average springtime temperature increases were seen in Reno, Nevada (+6.8°F), El Paso, Texas (+6.3°F) and Las Vegas (+6.2°F).
What it did: The group's analysis is based on NOAA data during meteorological spring, which begins March 1 and ends May 31.
What it's saying: Warmer springtime temperatures cause a variety of effects, per Climate Central, including earlier snowmelt (which affects drinking water supplies), longer allergy seasons and changes in agricultural growing seasons.
The big picture: It's not just spring temperatures that are rising. Our notoriously hot summers set some unfortunate new records last year as well.
- Phoenix last year shattered its previous record for consecutive days with high temperatures at 110° or higher, setting a new record at 31 days.
- We also set a new record in 2023 of 19 consecutive days with overnight lows of at least 90°, and a new record for highest low temperature at 97°.
- There were at least 600 heat-related deaths in the Phoenix area last year, the deadliest on record.
What's next: Wildfire season generally runs from April through early July, and things could be worse than normal this year, according to state officials.
- Last year's fire season was relatively mild, but heavy precipitation led to increased vegetation, which could fuel more fires in 2024, state fire management officer John Truett tells Axios.
- Truett said during a press conference Monday that the Tonto National Forest, areas south of the Mogollon Rim and much of southern Arizona could see increased fire activity this year.
Zoom in: Arizona this year has hired a chief heat officer whose position was created as part of Gov. Katie Hobbs' Heat Preparedness Plan.