Nevada State Summary

Arizona, the sixth-largest U.S. state, encompasses diverse climates and topography. The deserts in the south are some of the hottest and driest areas of the country, while the higher terrain of the Colorado Plateau in the northeast has a cooler climate, with cold winters and mild summers. The mountain ranges that run from the northwest to the southeast experience heavier precipitation and wide temperature variations. Annual average (1991–2020 normals) temperatures range from the 40s (°F) at the highest elevations in the mountains to the mid-70s (°F) in the lower elevations of the south. The southern deserts frequently experience summer temperatures between 105°F and 115°F. Phoenix has the hottest climate of all major U.S. cities. Extreme temperatures in Arizona range from a record high of 128°F at Lake Havasu City (June 29, 1994) to a record low of −40°F at Hawley Lake (January 7, 1971). The hottest year on record was 2017, with a statewide annual average temperature of 63.0°F, which is 3.3°F above the long-term (1895–2020) average.