Kitt Peak, Arizona climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Kitt Peak's normal year runs from 34°F December nights to 80°F July afternoons, with 19.9 inches of precipitation and 8 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 13.2°C, December lows of 1°C, July highs of 27°C, 506 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationKitt Peak
- Station IDUSC00024675
- Location31.96°N 111.60°W
- Elevation6,790 ft (2,070 m)
On October 24, the normal high in Kitt Peak is 66°F and the normal low 46°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 9%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Kitt Peak.
- Jan 51° 34°
- Feb 51° 34°
- Mar 56° 37°
- Apr 63° 42°
- May 71° 49°
- Jun 80° 59°
- Jul 80° 61°
- Aug 79° 60°
- Sep 75° 57°
- Oct 68° 49°
- Nov 58° 40°
- Dec 50° 34°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Kitt Peak each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 80°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 34°F. The most precipitation falls in August (4.39 in), the least in April (0.25 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51°F | 34°F | 42.1°F | 1.67 | 0.9 | 4 | <1 | 13 | 10 h 20 min |
| February | 51°F | 34°F | 42.6°F | 1.53 | 2.3 | 4 | <1 | 12 | 11 h |
| March | 56°F | 37°F | 46.6°F | 1.47 | 2.2 | 4 | <1 | 9 | 12 h |
| April | 63°F | 42°F | 52.2°F | 0.25 | 0.9 | 2 | <1 | 5 | 13 h |
| May | 71°F | 49°F | 59.8°F | 0.29 | 0.0 | 1 | <1 | 1 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 80°F | 59°F | 69.5°F | 0.40 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| July | 80°F | 61°F | 70.4°F | 4.01 | 0.0 | 12 | 2 | <1 | 14 h |
| August | 79°F | 60°F | 69.2°F | 4.39 | 0.0 | 13 | 1 | <1 | 13 h 20 min |
| September | 75°F | 57°F | 66.3°F | 2.43 | 0.0 | 8 | <1 | <1 | 12 h 20 min |
| October | 68°F | 49°F | 58.2°F | 0.90 | 0.4 | 3 | <1 | 1 | 11 h 30 min |
| November | 58°F | 40°F | 49.3°F | 0.69 | 0.3 | 3 | <1 | 6 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 50°F | 34°F | 42.0°F | 1.88 | 1.0 | 5 | <1 | 14 | 10 h |
| Year (annual) | 65°F | 46°F | 55.7°F | 19.91 | 8.0 | 59 | 4 | 59 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10°C | 1°C | 5.6°C | 42 mm | 2 cm |
| February | 11°C | 1°C | 5.9°C | 39 mm | 6 cm |
| March | 14°C | 3°C | 8.1°C | 37 mm | 6 cm |
| April | 17°C | 5°C | 11.2°C | 6 mm | 2 cm |
| May | 22°C | 9°C | 15.4°C | 7 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 27°C | 15°C | 20.8°C | 10 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 27°C | 16°C | 21.3°C | 102 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 26°C | 16°C | 20.7°C | 112 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 24°C | 14°C | 19.1°C | 62 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 20°C | 9°C | 14.6°C | 23 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 15°C | 5°C | 9.6°C | 18 mm | 1 cm |
| December | 10°C | 1°C | 5.6°C | 48 mm | 3 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00024675; 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.
Which months are mildest at Kitt Peak?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August, September and October. Of those, May 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 USC00024675.
When is the last frost at Kitt Peak?
In Kitt Peak, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 26 in half of years and after May 17 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 4 in half of years and before October 18 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- April 261 year in 10 after May 17; 9 in 10 after April 1
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 41 year in 10 before October 18; 9 in 10 before November 24
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 195 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 223 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 7 in half of springs and before November 17 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Kitt Peak in zone 9a in ZIP code 85639, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Arizona · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00024675; 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 at Kitt Peak?
In a normal year in Kitt Peak, 4 days a year reach 90°F, 59 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 59 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 4a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 59a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 4high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 59a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 2a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1960) is 98°F, on June 28, 1979; the lowest is 2°F, on January 31, 1979.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1983, with 48.53 in; the snowiest season is 1965–66, with 77.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00024675; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00024675. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Kitt Peak?
Over a year 91% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Kitt Peak, 5.9 kWh per square metre a day. May is the sunniest month (96%) and July the cloudiest (83%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 88% | 3.8 |
| February | 87% | 4.7 |
| March | 91% | 6.2 |
| April | 94% | 7.6 |
| May | 96% | 8.3 |
| June | 95% | 8.3 |
| July | 83% | 6.8 |
| August | 86% | 6.5 |
| September | 90% | 6.0 |
| October | 93% | 5.3 |
| November | 91% | 4.1 |
| December | 87% | 3.4 |
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 many heating and cooling degree days does Kitt Peak record?
A normal year at Kitt Peak brings 3,992 heating degree days, 26% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 616 cooling degree days, 32% fewer than the median (908). Six months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,241 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 710 | 0 |
| February | 626 | 0 |
| March | 570 | 0 |
| April | 386 | 2 |
| May | 194 | 33 |
| June | 26 | 161 |
| July | 9 | 178 |
| August | 12 | 142 |
| September | 47 | 85 |
| October | 227 | 15 |
| November | 473 | 0 |
| December | 713 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 3,992 | 616 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00024675. 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.
Have recent years at Kitt Peak been warmer than normal?
Over 31 complete years from 1962 to 2019, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.3°F per century (+0.18°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Kitt Peak's climate compare?
Kitt Peak is warmer than 18 of the 97 places with their own NOAA record in Arizona, and wetter than 79. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 55.7°F is warmer than 63%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Kitt Peak is Csb: temperate, dry-summer, warm summer. 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 Kitt Peak share this climate record?
14 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their 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.
- Sells, AZ2,200 people · 16 mi W
- Topawa, AZ358 people · 17 mi SW
- South Komelik, AZ213 people · 20 mi SW
- Gu Oidak, AZ201 people · 25 mi W
- Ali Molina, AZ148 people · 11 mi W
- Haivana Nakya, AZ94 people · 7 mi NW
- Chiawuli Tak, AZ82 people · 11 mi W
- Ali Chukson, AZ67 people · 12 mi W
- Ko Vaya, AZ48 people · 19 mi NW
- Maish Vaya, AZ48 people · 35 mi NW
- Ak Chin, AZ33 people · 33 mi NW
- Comobabi, AZ0 people · 13 mi NW
- Cowlic, AZ0 people · 25 mi SW
- Nolic, AZ0 people · 22 mi W
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 Kitt Peak's climate
What is the coldest month at Kitt Peak?
December, with a normal high of 50°F and a normal low of 34°F. The warmest is July (80°F by day, 61°F at night).
Does it snow at Kitt Peak?
Yes: 8 inches in a normal year, falling on 5 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (2.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Kitt Peak?
August, with 4.39 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is April with 0.25 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Kitt Peak in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Kitt Peak in zone 9a in ZIP code 85639, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Kitt Peak?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 26; in one year in ten it comes after May 17. Waiting until May 17 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Arizona climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Anvil Ranch, AZ12 miles from this station, 66.2°F a year
- Sasabe, AZ33 miles from this station, 65.1°F a year
- Green Valley, AZ35 miles from this station, 68.4°F a year
- Tucson, AZ39 miles from this station, 70.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made