PlainClimate
NOAA 1991–2020 normals Incorporated place · exact Census match 1 NOAA station · Primary-station record

Gila Bend, AZ Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month

Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score

30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Gila Bend's primary NOAA station, GILA BEND 2SE.

The climate verdict for Gila Bend

Gila Bend, Arizona is cooling-led and dry. Its 6.3 inches of annual precipitation pairs with an annual average of 75°F. It scores 80/100 for climate comfort (excellent), putting it in the top third of station-mapped location scores and exceeding 76% of them.

75°F
annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
80/100
comfort score, above 76% of station-mapped location scores
6.3"
annual precipitation
322 days
frost-free days per growing season

Gila Bend: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.

Normals record plate

Sheet USC00023393 · Gila Bend, AZ 75°F mean · 6.3" precip

TEMP-HOT · RANK-WARM · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-ARID · SWING-MID · COMF-TOP · LOAD-COOL · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL

Nearest mean-temperature peer: Yuma Proving Ground, AZ (+ 0.1 °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.

Climate Living Index · Gila Bend

Gila Bend: 52/100 · grade D

Gila Bend publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.

D
52/100Climate Living Index

PlainClimate-derived for Gila Bend, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 80/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.

Gila Bend Living Index dimension scores
DimensionStation valueScore
Frost-free season 322 days/year 100/100 · A
Snowfall burden 0.0 inches/year 90/100 · A
Annual temperature balance 74.7°F · 7.2° from 67.5°F 77/100 · B
Normal heat + freeze calendar 189 calendar days 20/100 · F
Precipitation balance 6.3 in · 28.7 from 35 in 4/100 · F

Gila Bend · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.

Gila Bend's normals sit in a dry climate class: BWh

Annual precipitation falls well below the aridity threshold for this temperature regime, so the normals classify as hot desert (BWh). Class BWh is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically hot desert.

Köppen code
BWh
Group
Dry (arid or semi-arid)
Warmest month
95.0°F
Coldest month
54.8°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 · cooling-led station

Where Gila Bend sits across the climate record

Three NOAA fields for Gila Bend's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.

Annual temperature
Top 1% warmest
Among 6,861 stations, Gila Bend sits in the warmer third of annual means.
Annual precipitation
Drier than 98%
Gila Bend's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
Seasonal temperature swing
37th percentile swing
Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.

How Gila Bend compares across U.S. station-mapped locations

Gila Bend's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations

PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals

80 Top 24% score exceeds 76% 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%). Below this entry. 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry. 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Below this entry. 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Below this entry. 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). This entry sits in this band. 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry. This location 0 100 every station-mapped location, bucketed by value
  1. 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
  2. 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
  3. 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
  4. 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
  5. 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
  6. 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
  7. 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Below this entry.
  8. 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Below this entry.
  9. 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). This entry sits in this band.
  10. 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.

Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more station-mapped locations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Gila Bend's measured station temperature trend

Methodology

Across 43 complete annual observations from 1951 to 2024, GILA BEND 2SE warmed at a fitted rate of 0.26°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.

Gila Bend fitted annual mean temperature change, 1951-2024 Fitted station-temperature change from 1951 to 2024, relative to the fitted first year. The linear trend warmed at 0.26 °C per decade. -0.3°C +0.2°C +0.7°C +1.2°C +1.7°C +2.2°C 1960198020002020
  • Gila Bend primary station fitted change +0.26 °C/decade
Source: NOAA GHCN-M v4, quality-controlled monthly mean temperature. PlainClimate fits ordinary least squares over complete calendar years; minimum 30 years, record must reach 2015 or later.

Monthly Temperatures

Average daily high and low temperatures by month

Month Avg High Avg Low Mean
January 71°F (22°C) 41°F (5°C) 56°F (13°C)
February 75°F (24°C) 44°F (7°C) 60°F (15°C)
March 82°F (28°C) 49°F (10°C) 66°F (19°C)
April 90°F (32°C) 55°F (13°C) 72°F (22°C)
May 98°F (37°C) 63°F (17°C) 80°F (27°C)
June 107°F (42°C) 72°F (22°C) 90°F (32°C)
July 109°F (43°C) 81°F (27°C) 95°F (35°C)
August 109°F (43°C) 81°F (27°C) 95°F (35°C)
September 104°F (40°C) 74°F (23°C) 89°F (32°C)
October 93°F (34°C) 60°F (16°C) 77°F (25°C)
November 80°F (27°C) 48°F (9°C) 64°F (18°C)
December 70°F (21°C) 40°F (4°C) 55°F (13°C)

The year, day by day

The year in Gila Bend runs from a mild 39°F around December 18 to 110°F at the peak near July 1, and the normal low never reaches freezing on any date in the record.

Normal daily high and low temperature for Gila Bend, January through December Peaks 110°F around July 1. Bottoms 39°F around December 18. 30 50 70 90 110 freezing JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal daily high and low across the calendar year. NOAA 1991–2020 daily normals, GILA BEND 2SE.

When the heat sits

Normal highs reach 90°F from April 18 through October 23, covering 189 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs January 8 to December 9.

This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.

No freezing date

Not one calendar date in the 1991–2020 record carries a normal low at or below 32°F. The coldest normal low of the year is 39°F around December 18.

Where the wet dates fall

The likeliest wet date is August 15, when 12% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is June 7 at 1%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 23 wet dates a year.

The widest day

June 5 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 37°F between the normal high and the normal low.

Look up any date

Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Gila Bend.

Where Gila Bend Stands Nationally

Summers here run among the most heat-heavy normals calendars in the country: on about 189 days a year the normal daily high itself reaches 90°F — a count fewer than one station in ten exceeds.

Aridity defines the water calendar: about 6 inches in a normal year lands this among the driest tenth of ranked stations.

Gila Bend earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.

Monthly Precipitation

Average monthly rainfall and snowfall

January 0.8"

2.4 days with precipitation

February 0.9"

3.1 days with precipitation

March 0.7"

2.5 days with precipitation

April 0.3"

0.9 days with precipitation

May 0.3"

0.5 days with precipitation

June 0.1"

0.1 days with precipitation

July 0.6"

2.5 days with precipitation

August 0.9"

3.9 days with precipitation

September 0.3"

1.5 days with precipitation

October 0.4"

1.2 days with precipitation

November 0.5"

1.3 days with precipitation

December 0.6"

2.6 days with precipitation

Gila Bend's wet season runs through the cold months

December, January and February carry 36% of the year's precipitation here, while June through August contribute 26%. 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 40.2°F seasonal spread.

Wettest month
August, 0.9"
Driest month
June, 0.1"
Wettest three months
August, February, January (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 Gila Bend's precipitation splits across the calendar

About 23 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 6.3" between them, or roughly 0.28 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.

Wet days a year
23
Wettest month by days
August
Driest month by days
June

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.

Gila Bend's record shows no measurable snowfall

This station measured snowfall across the 1991-2020 period and recorded none: the annual normal is 0.0 inches. That is a measured zero rather than missing data, which is a meaningful distinction here , most stations in the database simply do not report snow at all, and those pages say nothing about it.

A thirty-year normal of zero describes the typical year at this station. It is not a claim that snow has never fallen in the area.

Frost Dates & Growing Season

First Fall Freeze

December 11

50% probability date

Last Spring Freeze

January 23

50% probability date

Growing Season

322 days

Heating & Cooling Degree Days

Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling

Heating Degree Days

958

Higher = more heating needed

Cooling Degree Days

4,529

Higher = more cooling needed

Warmest Month

July

Coldest Month

December

Nationwide similar cities

Other rankable U.S. places outside AZ closest to Gila Bend 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 (75°F here).

Closest by annual precipitation

Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (6.3" here), excluding temperature-peer places.

Arizona climate overview →

Scarce-water calendar

Where Gila Bend's limited precipitation lands

cooling led · dry · mid swing

Air-conditioning demand is the clearest thermal signal here. Gila Bend accumulates 4,529 cooling degree days, more than twice its 958 heating total; the monthly table shows when that imbalance builds rather than treating it as a year-round condition.

Heat demand sits beside limited local precipitation: Gila Bend receives 6.3 inches in a normal year, inside PlainClimate's dry range. Recorded annual snowfall is negligible. Month-level precipitation is the useful check on when that small annual total arrives.

July and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Gila Bend's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 40.2°F. The annual average is 75°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.

Gila Bend has a long frost-free window of roughly 322 days, but the dry annual profile is a separate constraint. Growing-season length says when freezes are unlikely, not whether rainfall is sufficient.

Gila Bend wettest normal

August

August concentrates the scarce annual total (6.3 inches).

Gila Bend driest normal

June

June is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.

Questions about Gila Bend's climate

How dry is Gila Bend?
Gila Bend receives 6.3 inches of precipitation a year, spread across roughly 23 days that record any measurable amount. For reference, the contiguous United States averages near 30 inches. Based on NOAA 30-year climate normals (1991-2020).
How many days above 90°F does Gila Bend get?
Gila Bend averages about 192 days a year at or above 90°F, concentrated in July and the months either side of it. That is a count of days reaching the threshold, not a measure of how far above it they go.
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Gila Bend?
Gila Bend has 958 heating degree days and 4,529 cooling degree days annually, a cooling-dominated climate. Degree-day definitions: reading weather data.

Data Sources

Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Gila Bend's primary station: GILA BEND 2SE (USC00023393). For informational purposes only.

Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 0427050). Match rule for Gila Bend: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainClimate

On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Gila Bend 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.