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Phoenix closed out its warmest February on record, with a monthly mean temperature of 67.7°, surpassing the previous record of 66.0° set in 1991 and tied just last year. The new mark continues a recent string of unusual warmth across the desert Southwest and highlights the persistence of above-normal temperatures through the 2025–2026 cool season.

The record February capped an extraordinary winter for the city. Boosted by the warmest December and February ever observed, Phoenix posted a winter (December–February) mean temperature of 63.9°, the highest on record by a wide margin. The seasonal average is comparable to a typical winter in Melbourne, Florida, underscoring just how mild conditions were in the Sonoran Desert during a period that historically represents the region’s coolest months.

The winter warmth was notable even in a broader historical context. Phoenix’s seasonal mean temperature exceeded the average temperature reached during spring (March–May) of 1917 and 1965, illustrating how dramatically the season’s temperatures departed from long-term norms. For perspective, New York City’s warmest winter (41.6° seasonal mean temperature during 2001-2002) was more than 3° cooler than is coldest spring (1888 with a seasonal average temperature of 44.7°).

Since 2020, seven months have seen their warmest temperatures on record.

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