Climate reading

Phoenix and the Chinese solar calendar

The Chinese calendar has a fortnight called Frost’s Descent. Phoenix averages a freeze-free year; when a freeze does arrive the median date is January 2, months after the calendar says. Rainy days here are spread fairly evenly through the year (r = -0.28), rather than concentrated in the hot months as they are in the calendar’s home climate (r = 0.88).

The station this page reads from

Weather station	Sky Harbor, AZ
Station ID	USW00023183
Freeze-free days / year	365
Median first freeze	January 2
Median last freeze	January 6
Rain vs. heat	r = -0.28 (evenly spread)
Normals period	1991–2020

NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals. A normal is a thirty-year average, not a forecast and not any single year’s weather.

Rain and heat across the whole year

The classical calendar assumes rain and heat arrive together — across the 24 fortnights the prototype's rainy days and temperature run together (r = 0.88). Where you are they do neither (r = -0.28): rainy days are spread through the year rather than piled into the hot months. The classical 'damp heat' season has no clear counterpart in your record.

Where the calendar is most wrong about Phoenix

Of the twenty-four fortnights, these four are the ones whose name or advice sits furthest from what Phoenix’s weather station actually recorded over thirty years.

Cold Dew 寒露from 2026-10-08

Pentads: 鸿雁来宾 · 雀入大水为蛤 · 菊有黄华

containment and levelling (容平 róng píng). Go to bed early and rise early, up with the rooster.
This is the response to autumn qi — the way of nourishing the gathering-in (養收). Going against it is said to injure the lung, so that winter brings undigested diarrhoea and there is less to carry the storing.
Su Wen, 'Four Qi Regulate the Spirit' (素問·四氣調神大論); pentads from the Yue Ling Qi Shi Er Hou Ji Jie

Average / low / high	77.7°F / 65.9°F / 89.6°F
Days with measurable rain	6.8%
Days at or below freezing	0.0
Daylight	11h 32m (-32 min from two weeks ago)

This fortnight's advice was written for a place averaging 59.0°F at this point in the year. At Sky Harbor, AZ the 1991–2020 average is 77.7°F — warmer by 18.7°F.
The name of this fortnight, 'Cold Dew', is a phenological marker from the Yellow River valley — an observation of what was seen happening, not a temperature threshold. At Sky Harbor, AZ a normal year records 0.6 days at or below freezing in total. The name and the thermometer are two different kinds of statement, and here they part company entirely.
This is the fastest-cooling fortnight of your year: 6.3°F below the one before it.

If Yin deficiency came out high for you. Traditional theory associates Yin deficiency with internal dryness and a sense of heat from within. That is a theoretical association drawn from the classical literature, not a research finding. Your average high this fortnight is 89.6°F, and 6.8% of days typically see measurable rain. Whether any of it matters for you is something to observe, not something this page can tell you.

White Dew 白露from 2026-09-07

Pentads: 鸿雁来 · 元鸟归 · 群鸟养羞

Same seasonal passage as above — the classical text gives one instruction per season, not one per fortnight.

Average / low / high	89.8°F / 78.8°F / 101.0°F
Days with measurable rain	9.5%
Days at or below freezing	0.0
Daylight	12h 37m (-31 min from two weeks ago)

This fortnight's advice was written for a place averaging 68.5°F at this point in the year. At Sky Harbor, AZ the 1991–2020 average is 89.8°F — warmer by 21.3°F.
The name of this fortnight, 'White Dew', is a phenological marker from the Yellow River valley — an observation of what was seen happening, not a temperature threshold. At Sky Harbor, AZ a normal year records 0.6 days at or below freezing in total. The name and the thermometer are two different kinds of statement, and here they part company entirely.

If Yang deficiency came out high for you. Traditional theory associates Yang deficiency with feeling the cold sooner than the people around you. That is a theoretical association drawn from the classical literature, not a research finding. Your average low this fortnight is 78.8°F, and about 0.0 days typically fall to freezing or below. Whether any of it matters for you is something to observe, not something this page can tell you.

Major Cold 大寒from 2026-01-20

Pentads: 鸡乳 · 征鸟厉疾 · 水泽腹坚

closing and storing (閉藏 bì cáng). Go to bed early and rise late — wait for the sunlight. Leave the cold, stay near warmth, and do not let the skin sweat open.
This is the response to winter qi — the way of nourishing the storing (養藏). Going against it is said to injure the kidney, so that spring brings weakness and collapse and there is less to carry the bringing-forth.
Su Wen, 'Four Qi Regulate the Spirit' (素問·四氣調神大論); pentads from the Yue Ling Qi Shi Er Hou Ji Jie

Average / low / high	57.9°F / 46.9°F / 68.8°F
Days with measurable rain	12.0%
Days at or below freezing	0.2
Daylight	10h 15m (+14 min from two weeks ago)

This fortnight's advice was written for a place averaging 34.0°F at this point in the year. At Sky Harbor, AZ the 1991–2020 average is 57.9°F — warmer by 23.9°F.
The name of this fortnight, 'Major Cold', is a phenological marker from the Yellow River valley — an observation of what was seen happening, not a temperature threshold. At Sky Harbor, AZ a normal year records 0.6 days at or below freezing in total. The name and the thermometer are two different kinds of statement, and here they part company entirely.

If Qi stagnation came out high for you. Traditional theory associates Qi stagnation with mood that moves with the season; the classical texts tie autumn's gathering-in to it in particular. That is a theoretical association drawn from the classical literature, not a research finding. Daylight at your latitude is 10h 15m, up 14 minutes from two weeks ago. Whether any of it matters for you is something to observe, not something this page can tell you.

Minor Cold 小寒from 2026-01-05

Pentads: 雁北乡 · 鹊始巢 · 雉雊

Same seasonal passage as above — the classical text gives one instruction per season, not one per fortnight.

Average / low / high	56.4°F / 45.7°F / 67.2°F
Days with measurable rain	12.3%
Days at or below freezing	0.2
Daylight	10h 01m (+5 min from two weeks ago)

This fortnight's advice was written for a place averaging 33.1°F at this point in the year. At Sky Harbor, AZ the 1991–2020 average is 56.4°F — warmer by 23.3°F.
The name of this fortnight, 'Minor Cold', is a phenological marker from the Yellow River valley — an observation of what was seen happening, not a temperature threshold. At Sky Harbor, AZ a normal year records 0.6 days at or below freezing in total. The name and the thermometer are two different kinds of statement, and here they part company entirely.

If Damp-heat came out high for you. Traditional theory associates Damp-heat with damp and heat arriving together, rather than either one alone. That is a theoretical association drawn from the classical literature, not a research finding. This fortnight runs to an average high of 67.2°F with rain on about 12.3% of days. Whether any of it matters for you is something to observe, not something this page can tell you.

All twenty-four fortnights at Phoenix

Fortnight		Begins	Avg °F	Rainy days %	Freezing days	vs. calendar °F
Minor Cold	小寒	2026-01-05	56.4	12.3	0.2	+23.3
Major Cold	大寒	2026-01-20	57.9	12.0	0.2	+23.9
Start of Spring	立春	2026-02-04	59.2	13.4	0.0	+20.9
Rain Water	雨水	2026-02-18	61.7	13.9	0.0	+18.9
Awakening of Insects	惊蛰	2026-03-05	65.4	11.5	0.0	+17.4
Spring Equinox	春分	2026-03-20	69.0	8.3	0.0	+15.2
Pure Brightness	清明	2026-04-05	72.3	5.6	0.0	+13.5
Grain Rain	谷雨	2026-04-20	76.0	3.8	0.0	+11.4
Start of Summer	立夏	2026-05-05	80.8	3.2	0.0	+13.2
Grain Buds	小满	2026-05-21	86.0	2.6	0.0	+13.7
Grain in Ear	芒种	2026-06-05	90.8	2.2	0.0	+14.3
Summer Solstice	夏至	2026-06-21	94.3	5.5	0.0	+15.3
Minor Heat	小暑	2026-07-07	95.7	11.0	0.0	+15.6
Major Heat	大暑	2026-07-23	95.2	14.2	0.0	+13.9
Start of Autumn	立秋	2026-08-07	94.5	14.7	0.0	+16.2
End of Heat	处暑	2026-08-23	93.3	12.9	0.0	+18.5
White Dew	白露	2026-09-07	89.8	9.5	0.0	+21.3
Autumn Equinox	秋分	2026-09-23	84.0	7.2	0.0	+20.1
Cold Dew	寒露	2026-10-08	77.7	6.8	0.0	+18.7
Frost's Descent	霜降	2026-10-23	71.9	7.0	0.0	+18.5
Start of Winter	立冬	2026-11-07	65.8	8.0	0.0	+19.2
Minor Snow	小雪	2026-11-22	59.5	10.1	0.0	+18.9
Major Snow	大雪	2026-12-07	55.5	12.1	0.0	+19.2
Winter Solstice	冬至	2026-12-22	55.0	12.8	0.1	+21.2

‘vs. calendar’ is this fortnight’s local average minus the average where the calendar was written. Rain figures on this page count rainy days, not inches. The two can point opposite ways — summer storms drop more water on fewer days.

Find out which patterns are yours

This page describes a place. The assessment describes a person — twenty-five questions, three minutes, nothing uploaded.

Start the assessment