Phoenix bakes under one of the hottest desert climates in North America, where summer temperatures routinely exceed 40°C and the sun feels like a personal vendetta.

Rainfall is scarce and concentrated in two brief periods: a weak winter drizzle season and the dramatic monsoon storms of July and August, neither of which should influence your wardrobe much beyond keeping sunglasses handy.

Winter days are blissfully mild at 18-21°C, while summer regularly pushes past 43°C, creating a temperature swing so extreme you'll question whether you live on the same planet year-round.

Humidity stays mercifully low except during monsoon season, when it spikes just enough to make the heat feel even more oppressive, though strong dust storms are the real atmospheric troublemakers.

Sun protection isn't optional here—it's infrastructure for your face, and locals know that touching a car steering wheel in July requires the same caution as handling laboratory equipment.