Your nature year
Phoenix, Arizonathrough the year
Also for Mesa, AZ, Chandler, AZ, Glendale, AZ, Scottsdale, AZ, Peoria, AZ, Tempe, AZ, Surprise, AZ, Avondale, AZ, El Mirage, AZ: the same nearby places.
When do frost, green-up and fall color come to Phoenix?
At the Phoenix Deer Valley Municipal Airport weather station (8.3 mi), the average first fall frost is Dec 25 and the last spring frost Jan 8, which leaves Phoenix some 351 growing days. At some 1,242 feet up, Phoenix is on higher ground than most towns in the region.
Leaves usually come out around Jan 23 and the first flowers around Feb 14. Spring takes about 3 weeks to go from leaf to bloom. We follow 4 places within 150 miles of Phoenix; the nearest lies 105 miles to the southeast. Saguaro, 105 miles from Phoenix, is the nearest wildflowers spot on this site, often best mid-late March (local timing). For fall foliage, the nearest is San Francisco Peaks (119 mi, usually Oct 1–31). Statewide, Arizona's fall color is usually well under way by late October.
Updated Sep 29. Sources: US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) ↗ (opens in a new tab), US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Best this weekend nearby
- San Francisco Peaks · 119 mi · Fall foliage
Usually Oct 1–31
Sat Oct 3: Sunny, 70°F · Sun Oct 4: Sunny, 69°F
No report yet
Places in their own usual window that weekend; reports are the latest official ones, forecasts from the National Weather Service.
Phoenix's year at a glance
- Frost possible
- Frost-free, ~Jan 8 to ~Dec 25
- First leaf ~Jan 23
- First bloom ~Feb 14
- Fall color under way ~Oct 30 (AZ)
- Today
Near Phoenix right now
- Fall color is usually well under way by late October in ArizonaStatewide · USA-NPN volunteer observations, 2020–2025 · not a forecast~4 weeks
- First fall frost usually around Dec 25 · last spring frost around Jan 8NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Phoenix Deer Valley Municipal Airport (8.3 mi, 50% dates)~3 months
- Fall foliage · San Francisco Peaks · 119 miusually Oct 1–31~2 days
Phoenix's nature year
- Jan: Spring green-upJan
- Jan: Last spring frostJan
- Mar: Wildflowers · SaguaroMar
- Spring migration · Bill Williams River RefugeApr–May
- Oct: Fall color (AZ)Oct
- Dec: First fall frostDec
Nearby, season by season
Fall foliage
- San Francisco Peaks · 119 miusually Oct 1–31~2 days
Spring migration
- Bill Williams River Refuge · 126 miLocal timing: late April to early May~7 months
Wildflowers
- Saguaro · 105 miLocal timing: often best mid-late March~5 months
- Organ Pipe Cactus · 119 miLocal timing: between February and April~4 months
Frost and green-up
Last spring frost
Jan 8
Average (50% date)
First fall frost
Dec 25
About 351 days without frost between
Spring green-up
Jan 23
First bloom around Feb 14
Frost: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals at Phoenix Deer Valley Municipal Airport (8.3 mi from Phoenix), the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not. Green-up: the USA-NPN Spring Index, 1991–2020 average at the town.
Questions people ask
When is the first frost in Phoenix?
On average around Dec 25, and the last spring frost around Jan 8: about 351 days without frost between. These are NOAA's 1991–2020 normals at Phoenix Deer Valley Municipal Airport, 8.3 miles away (the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not).
When does spring green-up reach Phoenix?
The USA-NPN Spring Index puts first leaf around Jan 23 and first bloom around Feb 14, on average for 1991–2020 at the town.
Where can I see fall foliage near Phoenix?
San Francisco Peaks, 119 miles (usually Oct 1–31). Distances are straight-line.
Where can I see spring migration near Phoenix?
Bill Williams River Refuge, 126 miles (local timing: late April to early May). Distances are straight-line.
How we know
US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, Spring Index 1991–2020 averages (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, colored leaves observations (opens in a new tab) (Sep 29)