Bright Angel Ranger Station, AZ Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Explore NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 climate normals → and a clearly labeled PlainClimate comfort calculation
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Bright Angel Ranger Station's primary NOAA station, BRIGHT ANGEL RS.
The climate verdict for Bright Angel Ranger Station
Bright Angel Ranger Station, Arizona has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 43°F. At 44/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 10% of scores.
- 43°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 44/100
- comfort score, above 10% of station-mapped location scores
- 24.2"
- annual precipitation · 126" snow
- 116 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Bright Angel Ranger Station: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00021001 · Bright Angel Ranger Station, AZ 43°F mean · 24.2" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 43°F
- RANK-COOL #892
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Tierra Amarilla
- PRCP-DRY 24.2"
- SWING-MID 36°F
- COMF-LOW 44/100
- LOAD-HEAT 7,913 HDD
- STN-1 USC00021001
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Tierra Amarilla, NM (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every AZ station list.
- Hot Blanca, CO 44°F
- Bright Angel Ra… (this station) 43°F
- Cold Dagget Pass, NV 43°F
- Near Tierra Amarilla, NM 43°F
- Near Tahoma, CA 43°F
Climate Living Index · Bright Angel Ranger Station
Bright Angel Ranger Station: 20/100 · grade F
Bright Angel Ranger Station publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Bright Angel Ranger Station, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 44/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 24.2 in · 10.8 from 35 in | 62/100 · C |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 196 calendar days | 16/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 43.4°F · 24.1° from 67.5°F | 14/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 116 days/year | 5/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 126.2 inches/year | 0/100 · F |
Bright Angel Ranger Station · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Bright Angel Ranger Station is a continental Köppen climate: Dsb
Coldest-month mean 26.9°F and warmest-month mean 63.3°F place this station in continental, dry-summer, warm summer climates (Dsb). Class Dsb is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, dry-summer, warm summer.
- Köppen code
- Dsb
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 63.3°F
- Coldest month
- 26.9°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Bright Angel Ranger Station sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Bright Angel Ranger Station's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 87%
- Among 6,861 stations, Bright Angel Ranger Station sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- 33rd percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 79%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Bright Angel Ranger Station is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Bright Angel Ranger Station compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Bright Angel Ranger Station's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
44 10th percentile score exceeds 10% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36°F (2°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 3.6" | 33.0" | 30.5 | 0.0 |
| February | 37°F (3°C) | 19°F (-7°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 3.5" | 26.6" | 27.3 | 0.0 |
| March | 44°F (7°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 3.0" | 23.6" | 28.7 | 0.0 |
| April | 52°F (11°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 1.6" | 11.4" | 23.5 | 0.0 |
| May | 62°F (17°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 49°F (9°C) | 0.8" | 2.7" | 11.9 | 0.0 |
| June | 73°F (23°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 58°F (15°C) | 0.4" | 0.2" | 1.8 | 0.0 |
| July | 77°F (25°C) | 49°F (10°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 1.8" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| August | 74°F (23°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 2.8" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| September | 67°F (19°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 1.9" | 0.0" | 2.3 | 0.0 |
| October | 56°F (13°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 1.8" | 3.4" | 16.1 | 0.0 |
| November | 45°F (7°C) | 24°F (-5°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 1.4" | 10.3" | 26.4 | 0.0 |
| December | 36°F (2°C) | 17°F (-8°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 1.9" | 15.0" | 30.6 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 78°F around July 8, short of 90°F on every date, while 196 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 17°F near December 18.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into May 2, then returns to freezing around October 20, covering 196 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is August 8, when 36% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is June 10 at 10%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 75 wet dates a year.
The widest day
June 17 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 31°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Bright Angel Ranger Station.
Where Bright Angel Ranger Station Stands Nationally
Freezing is routine here by normals standards — the normal low reaches 32°F or colder on about 196 nights a year, more than most ranked stations.
Bright Angel Ranger Station earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 33.0"
7.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 26.6"
7.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 23.6"
6.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 11.4"
4.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.7"
4.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.2"
2.3 days with precipitation
9.1 days with precipitation
11.0 days with precipitation
7.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.4"
5.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 10.3"
4.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 15.0"
6.5 days with precipitation
Bright Angel Ranger Station's wet season runs through the cold months
December, January and February carry 37% of the year's precipitation here, while June through August contribute 20%. That is the cool-season-dominant pattern of the West Coast and the higher inland West, where storm tracks swing south in winter and summer turns dry; the thermometer meanwhile shows a 36.4°F seasonal spread.
- Wettest month
- January, 3.6"
- Driest month
- June, 0.4"
- Wettest three months
- January, February, March (41% of the year)
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A cool-season label means the December-February share reaches 35%. Where snow falls, the monthly figures above report liquid-equivalent precipitation, so a wet winter month is not necessarily a rainy one.
How Bright Angel Ranger Station's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 75 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 24.2" between them, or roughly 0.32 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Bright Angel Ranger Station
Bright Angel Ranger Station averages 126.2 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 33 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 126.2 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 33 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 52% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
September 27
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
June 3
50% probability date
Growing Season
116 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
7,913
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
51
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside AZ closest to Bright Angel Ranger Station on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (43°F here).
- Ashton, ID 43°F · 0.0°F off
- Atlanta, MI 43°F · 0.0°F off
- Buffalo, WY 43°F · 0.0°F off
- Minot, ND 43°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (24.2" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Hill City, KS 24.2" · 0.0" off
- Lidgerwood, ND 24.2" · 0.0" off
- Miami, TX 24.1" · 0.0" off
- Conde, SD 24.1" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Bright Angel Ranger Station
heating led · moderate · mid swing
Bright Angel Ranger Station's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 7,913 annual heating degree days against 51 for cooling. Its 36.4°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 116 days are frost-free in a normal year. That short interval is consistent with the cold-season signal, but the measure does not predict the exact first or last freeze in any one year.
-
1. Bright Angel Ranger Station coldest normal
December
The monthly mean of 27°F (-3°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Bright Angel Ranger Station typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Bright Angel Ranger Station snow peak
January
Bright Angel Ranger Station averages 126.2 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Bright Angel Ranger Station's climate
How much snow does Bright Angel Ranger Station get? ▼
How cold does Bright Angel Ranger Station get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Bright Angel Ranger Station? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Bright Angel Ranger Station's primary station: BRIGHT ANGEL RS (USC00021001). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for Bright Angel Ranger Station; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Bright Angel Ranger Station comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.