PHOENIX — Following a series of early morning showers, Christmas Day in the Valley has brought partly cloudy skies mixed with bursts of sunshine. This pleasant weather is driving daytime highs into the 70s, marking temperatures around ten degrees above the seasonal average.
The forecasted daytime high in the mid-70s positions this Christmas Day among the top five warmest recorded in the Valley’s history. Although rainfall was brief, it was notably intense in certain areas this morning. Most measurement points in the Valley recorded only slight amounts, with Cave Creek and Anthem logging about two-tenths of an inch over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Other areas, such as Glendale and Avondale, recorded 0.16 inches, while Phoenix Sky Harbor received 0.03 inches.
Despite this weather pattern shift, Maricopa County is experiencing a high pollution advisory, along with a No Burn declaration in effect through Thursday night.
Tonight, the temperatures are expected to drop, with partly cloudy skies and overnight lows in the mid to upper 40s. Moving into Friday, daytime highs will remain in the low 70s, before slightly declining to the upper 60s by the weekend. Regardless, these temperatures will still be above average for this time of year.
Looking ahead to next week, residents can anticipate sunny and mild conditions with highs in the upper 60s to low 70s. However, an increasing chance of measurable rain is forecasted by Thursday. Further updates will be provided as the situation develops.