Phoenix, AZ – Winter officially begins today as Arizona marks the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year. While Arizona is known for warm daytime temperatures, safety officials warn that the longest night of the year can still bring serious risks inside homes—particularly from carbon monoxide exposure during cold desert nights.
Overnight temperatures across Arizona can drop sharply in winter, especially in higher elevations and desert communities. These sudden temperature changes often prompt residents to use space heaters, fireplaces, gas heaters, and portable fuel heaters—sometimes after months of inactivity. During winter storms or power outages, generators may also be used. With windows closed and ventilation reduced, carbon monoxide can accumulate indoors.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas produced when fuel-burning appliances do not burn completely or are not properly vented. Because it cannot be seen or smelled, it is widely known as the “invisible killer.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, carbon monoxide poisoning sends tens of thousands of Americans to emergency rooms each year, with winter months posing the highest risk—even in desert and warm-weather states.
Medical experts warn that carbon monoxide poisoning disables far more people than it kills, often leaving survivors with long-term neurological or cognitive damage. Early symptoms may include headaches, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and confusion. As exposure continues, symptoms can escalate to chest pain, vomiting, impaired coordination, loss of consciousness, and death. Because these symptoms can resemble flu-like illness or exhaustion, many people do not recognize the danger until exposure becomes severe.
Fire departments across Arizona caution that carbon monoxide incidents often increase during cold nights like those surrounding the Winter Solstice. Common causes include space heaters placed too close to furniture, grills or fuel heaters used indoors or on enclosed patios, generators operated too close to homes, and vehicles left running in garages. In higher-elevation communities, blocked vents or snow-covered exhaust pipes can further increase the risk.
Safety officials urge Arizona residents to ensure carbon monoxide detectors are installed on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas—even in homes that rarely use heating systems. Alarms should be tested regularly, and batteries replaced as needed. Residents are also advised never to use grills, camp stoves, or fuel-powered heaters indoors, to operate generators outdoors and far from windows and doors, and to follow manufacturer safety guidelines for all heating equipment.
If a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, officials say residents should leave the home immediately and call 911 or the local fire department from outside. Anyone experiencing symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure should seek emergency medical care without delay.
As Arizona experiences the longest night of the year, safety officials say the Winter Solstice is more than a calendar milestone. It is also a reminder that carbon monoxide—the invisible killer—can pose a serious but preventable danger when cold desert nights catch residents off guard.
