Christmas in Valley will be cool and wet, forecasters say
Santa Claus may have greeted rooftops throughout the Valley each Christmas over the past decade, but rain from winter storms notably has not. This Christmas might be different. Jaret Rogers, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix, said the Valley can expect a halfinch of rain on Christmas Eve, with the weather peaking in the morning to early afternoon and a chance of thunderstorms.
On Christmas Day, expect cold temperatures and lingering showers throughout the day.
Not once this decade has rain fallen in Phoenix on Christmas Day. This will be the first Christmas since 2008 — when less than a quarter-inch of rain fell — that the weather was anything other than dry.
Rain last visited the city on Christmas Eve in 2016.
Not only could this be Phoenix’s wettest Christmas of the decade, but forecasts also suggest it will be among the coldest.
The average high temperature for Christmas this decade is 64 degrees. Phoenix’s coldest Christmas was in 2016 when the high was 55 degrees. This year the high is expected to be 56 degrees.
Desert dwellers aren’t known for tolerating cold, and that’s OK this year because the Maricopa County Air Quality Department has not issued burn restrictions, so residents can warm up next to a fire. Just make sure it’s put out before Santa gets there.
In Flagstaff, where wintry weather is to be expected, this will likely be the fourth white Christmas of the decade.
Forecasters there expect 6.6 inches of snow on Christmas Eve and another 2.7 inches on Dec. 25, according to Nathan Lynum, a meteorologist with the Flagstaff NWS branch.
High temperatures in Flagstaff are forecast to be in the mid-40s to mid-30s throughout the week.
“These are definitely some winter weather conditions,” Lynum said, adding that snowfall might begin Tuesday.
The weather service and the Arizona Department of Transportation warn travelers to be cautious over the holiday and to be aware of the forecast, urging travelers to drive slow and cautious and to be prepared to wait out bad weather.
“Wherever you drive, turn on headlights in threatening weather and, when roads are icy or wet, reduce speed and maintain a safe distance between your vehicle and the one ahead,” ADOT advises on its website.