Recent cooldown lowers temperatures after hot summer start
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Are we crazy, or has this summer felt a bit milder than usual?
State of play: "Milder" is a relative term here in the Valley, which is infamous for its scorching summers and record-breaking heatwaves.
- Depending on the time of year, low triple-digit temperatures that would make people from other states wilt might be welcome to Phoenix-area residents.
Jessica and I both felt like temperatures have been more tolerable so far this summer — and have had heard the same from others — so I reached out to the National Weather Service's Phoenix office to see if they could confirm or deny our conclusion.
- The Valley has, in fact, experienced cooler-than-normal high temperatures since Sunday, meteorologist Ted Whittock tells Axios.
- High temperatures have been about five degrees below normal for late June and early July.
- That's due to a jet stream that's much further south than normal for this time of year and the lack of typical tropical high pressure in the Four Corners area, per Whittock.
Yes, but: Overall, June has not only been hotter than normal, Whittock said, but 2026 has been the third hottest start to a meteorological summer — June through August — on record in Phoenix.
What he's saying: "We have had a very welcome cool-down here in the last week of June. But persistently over the rest of the month it has been above normal," Whittock said.
🗣️ You tell us: How does the summer heat stack up to other years in your view?
- Is it just us? Or has the summer felt milder to you, too?