PHOENIX — Is it just us, or does this winter feel abnormally cold for Phoenix?
According to data from the National Weather Service, the start of the winter was actually very…average. The winter months include December, January and February.
We’ve had some chilly days, but December and January were average for temperature.
It’s just February that has left us longing for those 70-degree temps we're accustomed to in the Valley.
Highs in Phoenix have ended up below average nearly every day this month, and there's even cooler weather on-tap for next week #abc15wx #azwx pic.twitter.com/2L4T3dLPPV
— Iris Hermosillo (@IrisABC15) February 15, 2019
According to the NWS, our average high temperature so far this February is 64.6 degrees, which is 6.1 degrees cooler than the average high for February of 70.7 degrees. Up to this point, it’s the 22nd coldest February ever (out of 124 years NWS has tracked).
And with highs forecast to stay in the 50s all of this week, our average temperature for the month will likely come down even more.
AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURES BY MONTH:
December 2018: 66.5
December 2017: 71.0
December average: 66.0
January 2019: 67.0
January 2018: 73.9
January average: 67.2
February 2019 (so far): 64.6
February 2018: 71.1
February average: 70.7
A series of winter storms are to blame for the cooler, wet weather we’ve seen this February.
Some of those storms have been aided by an atmospheric river, a surge of moisture that moved into the region, bringing rain and snow on Valentine’s Day, according to ABC15 Meteorlogist Iris Hermosillo.
"While El Niño hasn’t necessarily been the reason for our recent wet and cool weather, it did officially develop and could bring wetter than average and cooler than average conditions through spring," Hermosillo said.
