The climate is very dry with temperatures ranging from pleasantly warm during the winter to extremely hot during the summer. Daytime temperatures often exceed 45 deg. C during the summer months but average a refreshing 20 - 25 deg. C during the winter. Golfing at one of the many surrounding courses is popular during the winter.
Residents usually avoid all outdoor activities during midday hours in the summer.
Late fall and early spring are good times to visit Phoenix, in order to avoid the summer heat and the winter tourists. The Phoenix area lies within the northern edge of the Sonoran desert, home of the giant Saguaro cactus that can exceed 10 meters in height. The surrounding countryside varies from barren rocky waste to fields of cactus and exotic desert vegetation interspersed with mountains and mesas of varied-colored rocks. It is a land that can be rugged and forbidding yet strangely beautiful. There are many things to see in Phoenix and the surrounding area.