Spring training weather looks great this weekend. But is it always like this?
Spring training has officially begun. Hot dogs, cold drinks, and good baseball bring thousands of fans to metro Phoenix each year to enjoy the warmth of the desert sun. But sometimes, heat is not what those in the stands are met with.
This year, the Cactus League runs through March 26, and so far, the weather looks like it will cooperate with players and fans to get in some good baseball games. This weekend temperatures are expected to reach highs of 84 — 10-12 degrees above average — before seeing cooler conditions and a slight chance of rain Monday night into Tuesday.
The above-normal temperatures came after several weeks of unsettled weather, with cloudy, rainy and cooler-than-average conditions. Rain disrupted activities at the WM Phoenix Open, another Arizona sports attraction where good weather is appreciated.
But don’t worry, it usually takes quite a bit of rain to cancel baseball games. Last year’s near record-breaking winter rainfall disappointed many players and fans hoping to catch a game. The most rain Phoenix has ever recorded for March is nearly 2 inches in 1983, though the typical amount of rain for the month is 0.83 of an inch.
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Dating back decades, the premise of spring training was to offer a warm climate players can practice in to prepare for their upcoming season. It wasn’t until 1947 when the Cactus League was established and brought the training league to Arizona.
Unfortunately, the idea of a warm climate for players to exercise and train in has not always panned out. Since spring training began in the Grand Canyon state, there have been 31 years when the lowest temperature in March was below 40 degrees, the coldest being 25 degrees in 1966.
With that said, there have also been some much warmer days during spring training in Phoenix. The hottest day on record for March was set in 1988 at 100 degrees, and although that remains the record, the next 26 hottest days of the month are all above 90 degrees.
It's still too early to give a precise weather outlook for the entire month of March, but forecasters at the National Weather Service say temperatures could be slightly below average for this time of year. Still, those temperatures could quickly even out to normal.
An updated Spring Training schedule can be found at https://sportsdata.usatoday.com/baseball/mlb/schedule, and find an ultimate guide to every Arizona spring training ballpark at: https://www.azcentral.com/story/travel/arizona/2024/02/19/spring-training-2024-cactus-league-stadiums-arizona/72620942007/.
March records tell a story
Although spring training games start in late February, most of them are played in March. Here's a look at temperature and rainfall trends during that all-important month:
March: The 5 rainiest
1941: 4.82 inches
1983: 3.17 inches
2000: 2.98 inches
1992: 2.49 inches
1905: 2.38 inches
March: The 5 warmest (based on the average temperature, high and low)
2004: 72.3 degrees
2015: 72.2 degrees
2017: 70.7 degrees
1972: 70.5 degrees
1989: 70.1 degrees
Caralin Nunes writes about weather and related topics for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Email her with story tips at [email protected].
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cactus League weather: Will rain wash out Spring Training?