Fountain Hills, Arizona climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Fountain Hills's normal year runs from 44°F December nights to 103°F July afternoons, with 10.2 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 22.3°C, December lows of 7°C, July highs of 39°C, 259 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationFountain Hills
- Station IDUSC00023190
- Location33.60°N 111.71°W
- Elevation1,580 ft (482 m)
- From the center1 miles
- Population23,696
On October 23, the normal high in Fountain Hills is 84°F and the normal low 60°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 8%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Fountain Hills.
- Jan 64° 45°
- Feb 67° 46°
- Mar 74° 51°
- Apr 82° 56°
- May 91° 65°
- Jun 101° 73°
- Jul 103° 80°
- Aug 102° 80°
- Sep 97° 74°
- Oct 87° 63°
- Nov 74° 51°
- Dec 63° 44°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Fountain Hills each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 103°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 44°F. The most precipitation falls in January (1.41 in), the least in June (0.14 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 64°F | 45°F | 54.2°F | 1.41 | 4 | <1 | 1 | 10 h 10 min |
| February | 67°F | 46°F | 56.8°F | 1.33 | 4 | <1 | <1 | 11 h |
| March | 74°F | 51°F | 62.3°F | 1.28 | 3 | 2 | <1 | 12 h |
| April | 82°F | 56°F | 69.2°F | 0.33 | 1 | 9 | <1 | 13 h |
| May | 91°F | 65°F | 77.8°F | 0.23 | 1 | 22 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 101°F | 73°F | 86.7°F | 0.14 | <1 | 29 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| July | 103°F | 80°F | 91.6°F | 0.80 | 3 | 31 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| August | 102°F | 80°F | 90.9°F | 1.33 | 4 | 31 | <1 | 13 h 30 min |
| September | 97°F | 74°F | 85.4°F | 0.81 | 3 | 28 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 87°F | 63°F | 74.6°F | 0.63 | 2 | 15 | <1 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 74°F | 51°F | 62.5°F | 0.74 | 2 | 1 | <1 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 63°F | 44°F | 53.5°F | 1.15 | 3 | <1 | 2 | 10 h |
| Year (annual) | 84°F | 61°F | 72.1°F | 10.18 | 32 | 167 | 4 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18°C | 7°C | 12.3°C | 36 mm |
| February | 20°C | 8°C | 13.8°C | 34 mm |
| March | 23°C | 10°C | 16.8°C | 33 mm |
| April | 28°C | 14°C | 20.7°C | 8 mm |
| May | 33°C | 18°C | 25.4°C | 6 mm |
| June | 38°C | 23°C | 30.4°C | 4 mm |
| July | 39°C | 27°C | 33.1°C | 20 mm |
| August | 39°C | 27°C | 32.7°C | 34 mm |
| September | 36°C | 23°C | 29.7°C | 21 mm |
| October | 30°C | 17°C | 23.7°C | 16 mm |
| November | 23°C | 11°C | 16.9°C | 19 mm |
| December | 17°C | 7°C | 11.9°C | 29 mm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00023190; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Fountain Hills?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in February, March, April and November. Of those, April has the fewest days with rain (1).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00023190.
When is the last frost in Fountain Hills?
In Fountain Hills, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after January 6 in half of years and after February 11 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before December 28 in half of years and before December 4 in one year in ten. A night at 32°F or colder comes at all in 63% of years here (NOAA).
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- January 61 year in 10 after February 11; 9 in 10 after December 14
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- December 281 year in 10 before December 4; 9 in 10 before January 27
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 356 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 365 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after January 9 in half of springs and before January 8 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Fountain Hills in zone 9b in ZIP code 85268.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Arizona · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00023190; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Fountain Hills?
In a normal year in Fountain Hills, 167 days a year reach 90°F (102 of them 100°F or more), 4 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 32 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 167a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 102a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 4a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- fewer than 1high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 32a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00023190.
How sunny is Fountain Hills?
Over a year 91% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Fountain Hills, 5.8 kWh per square metre a day. June is the sunniest month (97%) and December the cloudiest (84%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 85% | 3.4 |
| February | 84% | 4.3 |
| March | 89% | 5.8 |
| April | 93% | 7.3 |
| May | 95% | 8.2 |
| June | 97% | 8.5 |
| July | 91% | 7.4 |
| August | 91% | 6.8 |
| September | 93% | 6.1 |
| October | 93% | 5.0 |
| November | 89% | 3.8 |
| December | 84% | 3.0 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Fountain Hills need?
A normal year in Fountain Hills brings 1,237 heating degree days, 77% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 3,866 cooling degree days, 4.3 times the median (908). Two months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 8,179 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 335 | 0 |
| February | 234 | 5 |
| March | 130 | 46 |
| April | 33 | 159 |
| May | 3 | 399 |
| June | 0 | 651 |
| July | 0 | 826 |
| August | 0 | 801 |
| September | 0 | 612 |
| October | 11 | 309 |
| November | 133 | 58 |
| December | 359 | 1 |
| Year (annual) | 1,237 | 3,866 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00023190. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Has Fountain Hills been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 73.4°F, 1.3°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 72.1°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 73.4°F | +1.3°F | – |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00023190. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Fountain Hills's climate compare?
Fountain Hills is warmer than 78 of the other 96 places with their own NOAA record in Arizona, and wetter than 37. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 72.1°F is warmer than 97%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Fountain Hills is BWh: hot desert. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Fountain Hills share this climate record?
Rio Verde has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Rio Verde, AZ2,271 people · 9 mi N
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Fountain Hills's climate
What is the coldest month in Fountain Hills?
December, with a normal high of 63°F and a normal low of 44°F. The warmest is July (103°F by day, 80°F at night).
Does it snow in Fountain Hills?
Rarely: NOAA's normal is no measurable snow a year.
What is the rainiest month in Fountain Hills?
January, with 1.41 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is June with 0.14 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Fountain Hills in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Fountain Hills in zone 9b in ZIP code 85268.
How late can frost come in Fountain Hills?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after January 6; in one year in ten it comes after February 11. Waiting until February 11 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Arizona climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Stewart Mountain Dam, AZ11 miles from this station, 71.1°F a year
- Scottsdale, AZ11 miles from this station, 73.2°F a year
- Pinnacle Peak, AZ12 miles from this station, 69.5°F a year
- Mesa, AZ13 miles from this station, 72.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made