Ok here's what is remarkable about this July. The 96.7F mean temperature is only 1.2 degrees F above the current 30-year average of 95.5F. That's probably why it has seemed "not so hot" to me, as I have only lived in Phoenix for about 30 years. Also interesting is the fact that the last 8 days have been below average temperature, so without the current cool spell, this July would have turned out much worse. And finally, the valley had 14 days of a trace or more of rain in the month - while Sky Harbor did not get much, Deer Valley, up by me got 1.73 inches for the month. So yes, this was a slightly warmer than normal month, but it has also been a little wetter than normal at my house.