Maricopa in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Maricopa sees average daytime highs around 67°F and overnight lows near 45°F, with 2.9 in of rain over about 10 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.

Over the season highs climb from about 68°F in early December to 72°F by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Maricopa's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Maricopa's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
67°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
45°F
Rainfall
2.9 in
10 wet days
Avg wind
4 mph
Travel score
7.5
best season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Maricopa in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 68°F in early December to 72°F by late February.

A typical winter day in Maricopa reaches about 67°F and drops to 45°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.

40°60°80°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Maricopa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Maricopa weather by month

How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan66° / 44°0.93.410.17.5
Feb70° / 47°1.13.410.87.8
Mar77° / 52°0.72.711.78.4
Apr85° / 58°0.21.212.87.0
May94° / 66°0.10.713.73.8
Jun103° / 74°0.10.314.10.6
Jul105° / 81°1.04.3140.0
Aug103° / 81°1.25.313.20.3
Sep98° / 75°0.9312.22.0
Oct88° / 63°0.61.811.25.8
Nov75° / 51°0.51.810.38.6
Dec65° / 44°0.93.49.97.3

Cloud cover in Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Maricopa gets around 2.9 in of rain over 10 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 4 mph across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 hours in early December to 11 h 12 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.8 kWh/m².

0246DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Is winter a good time to visit Maricopa?

Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

7.5
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
3.7
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

winter is one of the better times to visit Maricopa for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Maricopa in Winter

From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In winter, Maricopa sees daytime highs around 67°F and nights near 45°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

UV index in Maricopa in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Maricopa peaks around June 23 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 11Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7Very high
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Maricopa in Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Maricopa is worst in June — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 12 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJun 1626 µg/m³Oct 1212 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb13Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun28Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov13Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Maricopa?

Maricopa sits at 33.1°N, 112.0°W, 1,175 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ahwatukee Foothills, 20 mi away.

Topography around Maricopa

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Maricopa.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Maricopa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 46 ft around an average of 1,168 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,500 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,331 ft.

The land around Maricopa is covered by artificial surfaces (37%) and bare terrain (29%) within 2 miles, bare terrain (42%), cropland (25%) and shrubs (22%) within 10 miles, and shrubs (47%) and bare terrain (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
46 ft
10 miles
2,500 ft
50 miles
4,331 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
Winter weather nearby: Ahwatukee Foothills 20 mi · Casa Grande 21 mi · Chandler 21 mi · Gilbert 25 mi · Tempe Junction 25 mi · Tempe 26 mi · Central City 26 mi · Phoenix 27 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Maricopa (33.0581°, -112.0476°, elevation 1,175 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.