What Are the Warmest Cities in Arizona?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The three warmest cities in Arizona are Yuma, Phoenix, and Glendale.
In this article I’m going to share with you my ranking of the warmest places in Arizona.
I created my list by researching data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other climate data providers.
Below I’m listing the top 10 warmest places in Arizona that have the highest average yearly temperatures. Later in the article I share a table with 50 most populous cities in Arizona.
Top 10 Warmest Cities in Arizona
Here are the top 10 warmest places in Arizona ranked by their daily mean temperature.
The differences between the top 10 cities are not that big. But compared to other cities in the state (such as Sedona at a higher elevation or Flagstaff in northern Arizona), they’re by far the hottest cities.
The average temperature for the 50 cities in Arizona I researched for this article is 65 °F. Meanwhile, every place in this top 10 ranking is at least 7 °F warmer than the state’s average.
Please note that these cities are the hottest cities in one of the hottest states in the United States. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are a serious danger during the summer in these cities. With climate change, the hottest places may get so hot that they’ll become unbearable in the summer months.
1. Yuma – daily mean temperature of 75.95 °F
Located in the Sonoran Desert in the southwestern corner of the state near the border with California, the desert city of Yuma offers the best weather for those who like it as hot as possible. It’s not only the hottest city in Arizona but also one of the hottest in the US. Yuma offers year round warm weather, with average daytime highs never going below 68-70 °F. Apart from 4 months (November to February), each average day feels like summer as it goes above 80 °F.
Yuma attracts many winter visitors who stay there to get away from cold winters back home. They often stay in RV parks and enjoy recreational opportunities the area offers. Because the highest temperature in the winter rarely crosses 85 °F, Yuma is warm but not suffocating as is the case in the summer. Nighttime temperatures in Yuma can still fall below 40 °F so Yuma has mild winters rather than properly warm ones (like Florida does).
Besides some of the hottest temperatures, Yuma also offers a lot of sunshine. In fact, as one of the sunniest places in the world, if you allow me a little hyperbole, it offers almost endless amounts of sunshine. The sun is guaranteed to shine over 90% of time. Arizona’s warmest winter city is a true oasis for sun seekers, that’s for sure.
2. Phoenix – daily mean temperature of 75.6 °F
The capital city of Phoenix is the second hottest city of the state. The main difference between Phoenix and Yuma is that Phoenix has slightly cooler temperatures, particularly during the summer. According to sunshine hours data, Yuma is also sunnier than Phoenix. It has 4,015 hours of sunshine a year compared to 3,872 in Phoenix. The average rainfall in the most populous city of Arizona is 7.22 inches compared to half of that, 3.28, in Yuma.
Regardless of the city, both offer some of the best weather in the United States if hot temperatures and lots of sun is your priority. Due to the heat island effect, Phoenix has warmer nights than rural areas which means even more consistent hot weather. Like Yuma, Phoenix has mild winters but they’re cooler by about 2 degrees.
Read more about the climate in Phoenix in my article on the number of sunny days in Phoenix.
3. Glendale – daily mean temperature of 75.6 °F
Glendale is a city located 9 miles northwest of Phoenix. These two cities share the same climate that is warm year round, including the winter months where daytime highs still reach at least 66-68 °F (with nights dropping to much cooler 45-46 °F).
4. Bullhead City – daily mean temperature of 74.25 °F
Bullhead City is located on the Colorado River, just 97 miles south of Las Vegas, Nevada. The city has hotter summers than Phoenix by up to 5 degrees during the day but it has colder winters and lower temperatures at night. The city is so hot in the summer that it’s one of the hottest cities not only in Arizona but also the entire United States.
5. Lake Havasu City – daily mean temperature of 74.15 °F
Lake Havasu City is located about 193 miles northwest of Phoenix and 65 miles south of Bullhead City with which it shares almost exactly the same climate.
Lake Havasu City is the second hottest place in Arizona near the border with California. It’s also the only of the top 10 cities that has access to a larger body of water: Lake Havasu, a reservoir on the Colorado River.
The summer is much hotter than in Phoenix (yes, Lake Havasu City has even more extreme temperatures) while the winter is colder by about 2 degrees. While compared to Phoenix it doesn’t offer the best weather in the winter, the proximity of Lake Havasu may make up for lower temperatures.
Lake Havasu City holds the record for the highest recorded temperature in Arizona: 128 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Parker – daily mean temperature of 74.15 °F
Parker is located about 38 miles south of Lake Havasu City. It’s a small town of about 3,000 residents. While it has lower nighttime temperatures than Phoenix (great in the summer, not so great in the winter) it has higher daytime temperatures year round, including in the winter. The difference isn’t big: about 1-2 °F. Still, if you’re looking for the best weather in the winter (and you don’t mind colder nights), Parker may be a better option than Phoenix. And definitely so if you’re looking for a small town.
7. Peoria – daily mean temperature of 73 °F
Peoria is one of the major suburbs of Phoenix. According to climate data, its average low temperatures are lower than in Phoenix (and its daytime summer highs are a little cooler), which results in a difference in the daily mean temperature between these two places. Since the differences various cities that neighbor Phoenix aren’t that big, when looking for your perfect place to live in Arizona, climate shouldn’t be as big of a factor as the given place’s overall livability.
8. San Luis – daily mean temperature of 72.5 °F
San Luis is a city of about 35,000 people. It’s located in the southwestern corner of Arizona, on the border with Mexico, about 23 miles southwest of Yuma. San Luis has higher daily variations than Yuma, with nighttime temperatures lower by about 5-6 degrees.
9. Mesa – daily mean temperature of 72 °F
Mesa is another city forming the Phoenix metropolitan area. As I mentioned when describing Peoria, the climate differences between these cities are small. According to climate data, Mesa is slightly cooler than Peoria (by 1-2 degrees).
10. Chandler – daily mean temperature of 72 °F
Chandler is the tenth hottest place in Arizona and yet another city in the Valley of the Sun. Its climate is virtually identical to Mesa since they’re neighboring cities.
50 Biggest Cities in Arizona Ranked by Daily Mean Temperature
I created the table below by researching data for the most populous municipalities in the Grand Canyon State. When I couldn’t find data for a given city, I moved on to another. While the list includes 50 cities, some of the bigger cities may be missing because there was no data for them. Please check the closest geographically city then.
| City | Average high temperature (°F) | Average low temperature (°F) | Daily mean temperature (°F) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yuma | 88.1 | 63.8 | 75.95 |
| Phoenix | 87.1 | 64.1 | 75.6 |
| Glendale | 87.1 | 64.1 | 75.6 |
| Bullhead City | 87.8 | 60.7 | 74.25 |
| Lake Havasu City | 87.2 | 61.1 | 74.15 |
| Parker | 88.5 | 59.8 | 74.15 |
| Peoria | 87 | 59 | 73 |
| San Luis | 88 | 57 | 72.5 |
| Mesa | 87 | 57 | 72 |
| Chandler | 87 | 57 | 72 |
| Gilbert | 87 | 57 | 72 |
| Goodyear | 85 | 59 | 72 |
| Avondale | 85 | 59 | 72 |
| Tempe | 88 | 55 | 71.5 |
| Maricopa | 89 | 54 | 71.5 |
| Scottsdale | 87 | 55 | 71 |
| Buckeye | 88.3 | 53.2 | 70.75 |
| Tucson | 84 | 57.3 | 70.65 |
| Coolidge | 87 | 54 | 70.5 |
| Carefree | 82.4 | 56.9 | 69.65 |
| Florence | 84.4 | 54.8 | 69.6 |
| Marana | 84 | 55 | 69.5 |
| Clifton | 81.2 | 53.5 | 67.35 |
| Wickenburg | 83.6 | 47.7 | 65.65 |
| Nogales | 80.7 | 48.8 | 64.75 |
| Casa Grande | 72.4 | 56.5 | 64.45 |
| Globe | 77.4 | 50.4 | 63.9 |
| Sierra Vista | 77.3 | 49.6 | 63.45 |
| Cottonwood | 80.6 | 46.3 | 63.45 |
| Safford | 80.1 | 46.6 | 63.35 |
| Sedona | 76.9 | 49.1 | 63 |
| Clarkdale | 79 | 47 | 63 |
| Benson | 80.3 | 45.2 | 62.75 |
| Kingman | 77.3 | 47.9 | 62.6 |
| Douglas | 79.2 | 45.4 | 62.3 |
| Willcox | 79.4 | 45.1 | 62.25 |
| Page | 71.9 | 49.7 | 60.8 |
| Bisbee | 72.9 | 46.7 | 59.8 |
| Dewey-Humboldt | 70.6 | 44.3 | 57.45 |
| Payson | 73.8 | 40.2 | 57 |
| Winslow | 72.6 | 40.8 | 56.7 |
| Holbrook | 72.9 | 40.3 | 56.6 |
| Prescott | 70.5 | 40.3 | 55.4 |
| Chino Valley | 72.3 | 37.6 | 54.95 |
| St. Johns | 69.8 | 37.2 | 53.5 |
| Show Low | 66.2 | 40.1 | 53.15 |
| Snowflake | 69.6 | 35.9 | 52.75 |
| Taylor | 69.6 | 35.9 | 52.75 |
| Pinetop-Lakeside | 64 | 34.5 | 49.25 |
| Flagstaff | 61.8 | 31.9 | 46.85 |
Check the Warmest Cities in Neighboring States
If you’re interested in learning about the warmest cities in states neighboring Arizona, check out the following articles:
- What Are the Warmest Cities in California?
- What Are the Warmest Cities in New Mexico?
- What Are the Warmest Cities in Nevada?
- What Are the Warmest Cities in Utah?
Also check my article on the warmest cities in the US in every state. You may be also interested in my article on the hottest cities in the US.
Further Reading
I published other articles related to the climate of Arizona. Here they are:
- What City Has the Best Weather in Arizona?
- Arizona Cities With 4 Seasons
- Is Tucson Hotter Than Phoenix?
- How Many Sunny Days Does Phoenix Get Per Year?
- What Are Winters Like in Arizona?
- Is Arizona Hotter Than Florida?
Arizona is one of the best states for weather if you like warm, sunny conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re looking for most sunshine possible, Yuma is your best option. If you’re looking for a place with pleasant summers and don’t mind cooler winters, Flagstaff is perfect. For a place in between, consider Prescott (it has hotter summers than Flagstaff but also warmer winters with the highest temperature possibly climbing to 65 °F). If you’re looking for Arizona cities with 4 seasons, one of the most popular places is Flagstaff with very distinct four seasons.
If you want to escape the winter cold, Yuma and San Luis offer the warmest winter weather, with average daytime highs never going below 68-70 °F in the coldest months. Yuma is also the hottest place in AZ.
The warmest place in Arizona is Yuma, with an annual daily mean temperature of 75.95 °F. Phoenix comes second, with an average temperature of 75.6 °F. If you’re wondering what’s the hottest city in Arizona after these two places and its suburbs, it’s Bullhead City. Record high temperatures in all these cities are extremely high, at over 120 °F.
Flagstaff is the coldest city in Arizona, with annual daily mean temperature of 46.85 °F. The second coldest city is Pinetop-Lakeside, with 49.25 °F. Both of these cities enjoy pleasant summers without extreme heat typical for other parts of Arizona. Average temperatures are in low eighties.
According to National Weather Service, the hottest temperature in July in Phoenix can reach on average 106.5 °F. That’s one of the highest temperatures in the country for a major city. But the small town of Furnace Creek in the Death Valley has by far the highest temperature in the country, reaching on average 117.4 °F in July. In both places, the hot desert climate is very intense, though. Such extreme heat may even lead to heat-related deaths.
Arizona has higher average temperatures in the summer than Florida but has much cooler winters. With low humidity, the sensation of high temperatures in Arizona may be more comfortable than cooler but more humid weather in Florida. Learn more in my article comparing Arizona’s heat to Florida.
Phoenix is hotter than Las Vegas year round. Winters in Phoenix are warmer by about 10 degrees and summers by about 2-3 degrees. Phoenix very rarely gets freezing nights in winter while Las Vegas may have at least a few every year.