What Is the Climate in Arizona?

The Sonoran Desert north of Phoenix is home to the Giant Saguaro cactus.

I know the terms "dry" and "tropical" seem like an oxymoron. However, that is exactly the case in the Sonoran Desert, found in the lower elevation areas of southern Arizona and northern Mexico. That location, including both Tucson and Phoenix, is mostly dry, but receives two separate, short rainy seasons, one in the winter and one in the summer, which makes it a "living desert" with more than 3,500 different species of plants.

This mesa in central Arizona is blocked from moist air masses by the Bradshaw Mountains.

Moving north from the Sonoran Desert within Arizona, and also increasing in elevation, is another biome, the Steppe. Within those areas, mountain ranges generally block ocean air masses from the west, allowing colder air to dominate and block most chances for rain. The Steppe is dominated by grasses, some brush and a few varieties of cacti.

Above 4,000 feet, night temperatures dip below freezing, supporting evergreens and small pines.

Moving further north through Arizona, and higher in elevation, is an area of long, dry summers followed by a very wet and colder winter. The warm, dry summers limit a variety of vegetation, with only a mixture of grasses, but the area will sustain small evergreen pines and a few tall pines in the higher elevation areas such as Prescott, due to the freezing temperatures during the winter.

A ponderosa pine forest surrounds Flagstaff in northern Arizona.

Much of Northern Arizona is above 5,000 feet as the Rocky Mountain Range ends. Those areas receive normal high elevation, mountainous weather, including cold, snowy winters and cool, rainy summers. The largest stand of ponderosa pines in the world are found in that area of Arizona, along with additional tall pines which make up a large portion of northern Arizona, including Flagstaff.

The "bald" area at the top of Humphrys Peak is due to long periods of snow and ice coverage.

I know it seems strange to put the word "tundra" in a story about Arizona climate, but in fact the San Francisco Peaks, just north of Flagstaff, lie in a Highland Climate. The top 1,500 feet of Humphrys Peak, which reaches to 12,637 feet, is the highest point in Arizona and is officially an "Alpine Tundra Biome." It's also the home to the Arizona Snow Bowl Ski resort -- yep, snow skiing in Arizona!