A shortage of 100-degree days for Phoenix so far in 2019 doesn't necessarily mean a mild summer is ahead, according to the National Weather Service.
Phoenix has seen the thermometer hit 100 degrees only twice in 2019, which is below average for a city known for its heat. Phoenix usually averages a total of 10 100-degree days through April and May, it reached the triple-digit mark once in April and once in May.
This past May marked the coolest May since 1998 with an average temperature of 76.2 degrees or nearly six degrees below normal. May 2019 tied 1998 as the coolest May from 1981 to 2019, according to NWS Phoenix.
"We don't often see below average months, much less this far below normal," NWS Phoenix tweeted.
But does the cool spring weather mean the summer will be mild? "Not necessarily," NWS Phoenix says.
According to NWS Phoenix, 2008, 2010, 2015 and 2016 were all similar to 2019 with a shortage of 100-degree days from January through May. Those four years all wound up having over 100 triple-digital days.
Phoenix averages 92 100+ days per year and with the hottest months still to come, there's plenty of days left to reach or even exceed that mark.
The Valley has three 100-degree temperatures in the forecast starting Wednesday, June 5. The current forecast shows that warmest temperature of the week on Sunday with a high of 102.
